Ascent III (Sequel to Ascent II)
by Lydia Gastrell
Summary: Data and B-4 have vanished, and it is up to Lore and the Enterprise crew to find them before it's too late. But they aren't the only ones on the hunt. Who finds them first will mean the difference between life and death, and possibly the very future of the Federation...
1. Gone

**Prologue**

Lore stopped near a large tree just at the edge of the force-field protected area and tapped the badge.

"Lore here."

"_This is LaForge. Lore…." There was a pause, "Is B-4 down there with you?" _

Lore's eyes shot wide instantly, "No. Why?"

Another long pause followed, in which Lore gripped the trunk of the tree next to him. Finally, LaForge spoke, _"Damnit, Lore. We can't find him. We're searching everywhere. The ship, the station, but…."_

"But what!" Lore demanded. His voice was loud enough to draw some looks from the party, including from Anna. She rose from her seat quickly and headed toward him. He did not mean to overreact, but losing someone on a Federation starship was nearly impossible, unless the person wanted to be lost. Anna reached his side and gave him a questioning look before taking his hand.

"LaForge?" Lore demanded again. "Where is he?"

"_You need to get up here, Lore. We've searched everywhere. The ship, the station." _LaForge's voice stumbled and paused, then, _"The _Enterprise _runabout is missing and we can't detect a warp trail. Bee is gone." _

**I.**

"_I left him vulnerable."_

**Eight Hours Later**

Lore leaned over the console with both arms braced. The few people who stood around kept their distance, as if they worried that he might wield around at any moment to smash something. Everyone accept Anna, that is, who stood next to him with her eyes fixed on the same screen. It had taken them less than twenty minutes to realize that B-4—or Data—had placed security blocks on the _Enterprise _surveillance system. It had taken them the better part of seven hours to finally break through it, a fact which had Lore frustrated beyond all measure.

"Why would he do this?" Lore muttered again, and once again to no one in particular. He placed his attention firmly back to the screen.

It was a surveillance feed from science lab two, the same lab in which Lore had been working with B-4 and Data for the past four months. The image wiggled and sparked only slightly, still corrupted by the suppression job Data had done on it. At least, Lore assumed it was Data…. What difference did it make! As he watched, he saw the back of his brother's head, still and facing forward without so much as blinking.

"What is he doing?" Picard asked, for he and several others were watching the same images on a different screen.

"I left him to do a test diagnostic of his memory differential nodes." Lore said, providing no further explanation. Only Geordi, who was standing with his arms crossed next to Picard, nodded some kind of understanding.

As they continued to watch the screens in main engineering, B-4 suddenly rose from his seat and pulled the fiber-optic cable from the back of his skull. He closed the panel there with a smooth downward swipe of his hand and stepped down from the platform. In a second, he was out of view.

"Okay, switching to the corridor." Geordi said as he pressed a few keys on the control table. The screens shifted, and now B-4 was leaving the science lab and stepping out into the corridor. Without a moment's hesitation he turned left and was quickly out of view again. Geordi continued to shift feeds, allowing them to follow B-4 as he made his way through the corridors and toward the turbo lift. Along the way he passed several crewmen but, from what Lore could tell, did not acknowledge them in any way, even when several of them made greetings.

"Is he hallucinating in some way?" Picard offered. "You see how he doesn't appear to be acknowledging anyone?"

Lore shook his head but said nothing. He didn't think it was that. An hallucination wouldn't explain why B-4 appeared to know exactly what he was doing and where he was going.

"Look! Now he's entering security control." Geordi said, still working the console. Worf, who was also standing nearby, grumbled something unintelligible. B-4 walked past an Ensign security officer, who immediately asked him what he was doing. In response, B-4 turned around and caught the young man by the side of his neck. Anna winced at the swift action, but it was not so terribly violent. B-4 squeezed the nerve bundle at the side of his neck until the man's eyes rolled up into his head and he fell unconscious. He then lowered him to the deck and proceeded to tear open the unit that controlled the ship's surveillance system.

"Why do this with the security system? What was he trying to accomplish?" Commander Madden asked.

Lore was so preoccupied with everything that was going on that he had no snide remark for Madden, as he so usually did. In the four months he had been working with B-4 and Data, he had grown to dislike the _Enterprise's _new first officer, Commander Martin Madden, and would have much preferred Riker, which was truly saying something. It was nothing in particular, he supposed. Madden was polite enough, professional enough, and did not appear to have any kind of problem with Lore's presence, but Lore could not help but notice the way in which Madden never mentioned what he planned to do after Data's new body was complete and he would be able to retake his duties. The man acted as if he had no intention of going anywhere, and Lore had been wondering for some time if Picard was going to speak to him about it.

Or perhaps they planned for Data to retake his old place as _second _officer, which in Lore's opinion would be bullshit. _Bullshit…._ Another wonderful term he had learned from Anna's sister Louise.

"Probably to buy time." Anna answered after a moment. "From the time you knew he was gone to the time you noticed the runabout was missing was nearly three hours. If the surveillance had been available we would have known almost right away."

"So wherever Data has gone, he had a three hour head start." Picard said heavily.

"Eleven hours now, and _they _have a headstart." Lore scoffed, "Since we can't detect a warp trail. Damnit!"

"Did he say anything to you at all that might shed some light on this?" Picard said, "He didn't mention anything about going somewhere?"

"Let me think…." Lore said sarcastically, "Um…no. My memory is just as flawless the second time around, Picard. B-4's world experience is somewhat limited. Where would he want or need to go?"

Captain Picard made a sour expression and turned away. Everyone knew that Lore's sarcastic streak truly showed itself when he was irritated. Or worried. Lore hovered over the screen and continued to watch as his brother left the security office and continued directly toward the underbelly shuttle bay, where the large runabout—known euphemistically as the _Captain's Yacht—_was stored. He made no stops and spoke to no one.

"What? Are you kidding me!" Lore burst suddenly.

"What is it?" Geordi said.

"Take the footage back, five seconds!" Lore demanded, "Look! He's entered a code into the panel to release the docking clamps and silence the alarms. _My _security code. Thanks a lot, Bee!"

A muffled laugh came from across the room, and Lore shot a menacing glance at Worf, who was only just suppressing a satisfied smile.

"Turn about?" Worf smirked, his chest bouncing in what passed for a Klingon laugh.

_Shut up. _Lore turned away and watched the rest of the footage, but there was not much to see. B-4 entered the runabout through the rear hatch and, a few minutes later, started up the engines and glided out of the shuttle bay doors completely undetected.

_This feels so familiar…._

"You've seen this before." Lore muttered as he stepped back from the screen.

"Seen what before?" Madden asked.

Lore ignored him and faced Picard, "Data's done something like this before, hasn't he? Come on, Picard. What do you _remember?_"

"Lore, I am really not interested in your games right now. If you know something, say it."

"You're no fun, Captain, as always." Lore sighed, though it was clear that he was no mood for games either. He was just covering his worry, as usual. "When Data and I were remotely summoned to the unnamed planet where Dr. Soong…died, it was done in a manner very similar to this, wasn't it. Data just suddenly took the ship, appeared to be in completely command of his faculties, despite being unable or unwilling to stop his actions?" Lore's expression became incredulous in an instant, as if he were revealing it all to himself instead of Picard, "I never checked! Why did I never check?"

"Check what?" Picard stepped forward as Lore moved to another console on the other side of the room. He began entering a series of commands so quickly that it was difficult to see the individual movements of his fingers. The screen beeped the universal affirmative and Lore actually snarled in response.

"B-4 had the same homing device that Data and I had. The ship's sensors logged it, but it didn't set off any alarms because it's on the same frequency scale as standard comm units."

"Someone activated it?" Anna said, though it wasn't really a question. She moved forward and began running through the sensor results as Lore stepped away from the screen. He was staring at the floor, deep in thought. With each moment, those thoughts only became more dire. How could this have happened? No. More specifically, _who _could have done this?

"The signal is very faint, but I think we might be able to track it." Anna said, "If we can get a good direction on it, we might be able to send a message to starships further out to conduct a scan. The signal would be fresh on their end."

Picard nodded and gave Madden a silent signal. Their relationship was nowhere near as nonverbal as it had been with Riker, but it was getting there.

"If this is the same thing that Dr. Soong used…. I'm not sure what we can do." Geordi sighed heavily and shook his head, "Data took control of the _Enterprise _in minutes, and I doubt he was even using all of his resources. If he didn't want to be tracked, I'm not very hopeful that we _will_ track him."

"Give me some credit, LaForge." Lore deadpanned. "Data is good, but I'm probably better."

Worf snorted again.

"I think this is one of those rare occasions when I will actually hope you're right." Picard said, "Can you track him?"

"Yes." Lore replied, "Though it will be spotty depending on where he's gone. A signal like this can be scattered if it comes in contact with a warp field or a heavy magnetic output like that of a pulsar."

"Covering up a signal like this would be easy." Geordi folded his arms and shook his head, "If Data didn't want to be found, he could have blocked this too."

"I'm sure he received instructions not to." Lore replied.

Picard gave him a curious look and waited, but typical to Lore's fashion he did not explain further. Finally he demanded, "Instructions from who?"

"Maddox!" Lore cried, "Who else would we be talking about? Was the existence of our homing beacon public knowledge? Was the incident with my father public knowledge?"

Picard's jaw clenched, "No. But Maddox would have known all about it. Data had an agreement with him at the time. He kept him informed of…everything to do with his systems."

"Oh, well that's just great!" Lore fumed. He tossed up his hands and pressed them to the sides of his head. Whatever panic he had been holding back for the last eight hours was beginning to show itself. "We have no idea where he is! It's been almost twelve hours, Maddox could have them already!"

"No, no. I doubt that." Geordi said quickly, "The authorities have been searching for Maddox for months, and there is no sign of him. Reports are pretty sure that he isn't in Federation space any more. He would have been caught by now."

"I moved in and out of Federation space for years without getting caught!" Lore countered.

"Yeah, but we weren't _looking _for you." Madden noted with a kind of apologetic shrug, "The manhunt for Maddox has been relentless."

Lore replied with a sneering look, but it was clear that he gained some kind of relief too. He knew they were probably right. He had followed updates on the search for Maddox even more closely than they, and it was highly unlikely that Maddox would still be in Federation space and manage to avoid the authorities. The Federation had even issued notices of a capture reward throughout the Ferengi Alliance, which was not something they usually did.

"Mr. LaForge, how soon can you have the engines fully online?" Picard asked.

Geordi shook his head, "Engines are good, Captain. Just give the word."

Picard nodded and turned to Madden, "Where are we on repairs? Any vital systems?"

Madden shook his head, "Nothing that can't be repaired on the fly. Station maintenance has nothing left but aesthetic upgrades and interiors. It's all paint and spackle, Captain."

"In that case, I want you to inform station maintenance that we have overstayed our welcome. Prepare to undock. I will…" Here Picard expelled a long, irritated sigh, "I will inform Starfleet command that our departure date has been moved up."

"They'll respond well to that." Madden grumbled.

"Data and Bee are more important than some stupid launch ceremony!" Lore retorted. The outburst was a bit much, considering that no one had issued objections. Seeing their irritated looks, he threw up his hands once more and headed toward the exit. He could only hope that there were more answers in science lab two. B-4 had been connected to the diagnostic computer when his homing device was activated, and he might be able to use the collected data to get a better read on the signal.

He knew that Anna was just behind him before he reached the turbo lift, and he was glad for it. With the others now out of view, he could feel his composure starting to crack. His brothers were gone, _possibly_ already murdered, and he held no certainly that he would be able to find them.

"This is my fault." He said when Anna stepped into the lift with him.

She immediately frowned, "Like hell it is."

"I never searched Bee for a homing device. I should have assumed our father would have given him the same components. It was a liability, that's why Data and I removed ours' after the incident." He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, "I left him vulnerable."

"Don't do that. This isn't your fault." Anna said, taking his hand, "Data didn't mention it either, right? It didn't occur to anyone."

"I haven't spoken to Data very much." Lore muttered, "He doesn't like suppressing B-4 that way."

Anna made an indulgent smile, "You know what I mean. And I know you speak to Data through Bee all the time."

He muttered something, but Anna couldn't discern it. She moved closer and put her hands on his shoulders, "We'll find them. Depending on far they have to go, there's any number of obstacles they could run into, and the runabout doesn't have a cloak. Someone will spot them."

He nodded, but he could not bring himself to share her hope. He knew what Data was capable of, because he was capable of much the same. With a single purpose and no willingness to reason, there was very little that either of them could not accomplish. He could only hope that something got in Data's way, something that even he would not be able to overcome.

"Lore." Anna began, "This…homing device. Is it possible that only one of them could be under its control?"

Lore looked up quickly. His jaw worked, but he said nothing as he thought. It…_was _possible, but he had no way of knowing. He was unsure if it mattered. "I don't know." He said, "Even if it were Bee and not Data, Bee has access to Data's memories. He would be able to use his knowledge to carry out the instructions from the homing device."

Anna nodded. It was a passing question, and she had not yet given it any more thought. The lift stopped and they emerged into the corridor near science lab two. They had much work to do.


	2. Android Ingenuity

**II.**

"_Bee, can you hear me?"_

"Sir! I'm picking up that signal loud and clear. Baring one-seven-four, mark two-one-five!"

Riker took his seat and leaned forward on one arm, "Lay in a pursuit and ready the tractor beam."

The bridge of the _USS Titan _became a swarm of calm, efficient energy. Riker liked it. The last thing he wanted to see was eager young Ensigns running around, bounding from station to station with more speed than was a necessary, as if they were running some kind of race. Cool and collected; that was the way to run a starship. Besides, if they were to look panicked when it wasn't necessary, what would they be like when the water really started to boil?

He only hoped that this wasn't going to be one of those times. He had gotten the subspace communiqué from Captain Picard nearly twenty hours ago, informing him about Data's disappearance and the existence of a weak homing signal they had tracked in his direction. The signal had been lost somewhere in the Andorian system, but had been placed on a clear track in the _Titan's _general direction.

Riker twisted in his chair and made direct eye contact with his security chief, "Mr. Brennan, I was a surgeon's hand on those phasers. I doubt we'll need them, but if we do I won't Commander Data blown to pieces."

The man nodded and swallowed hard, his rough skin shining near his brow. No doubt the man was now imagining just what would happen to him and his career if anything happened to Data due to his negligence. Riker saw no reason to ease his worry. A little worry was good for people.

The turbo-lift doors opened and Deanna Troi entered swiftly. Her eyes were already fixed on the screen with worry, for she already knew everything Picard had included in his subspace message.

Riker leaned toward her and she moved to take her seat. He frowned. The damn command chairs on the _Titan _bridge were so far apart. He would have to see about having them repositioned. He said, "Anything?"

She hesitated and stared at the screen. The starscape moved past at high warp, but other than that there was not yet anything to be seen. She shook her head, "No. Not yet."

Riker nodded, "Mr. Donovan? Do we have an exact location on that signal?"

"Triangulating now, Sir." Commander Donovan said from his place at the ops station. "We're coming in visual range now, Captain. It's the _Enterprise _runabout."

Riker closed his eyes for just a moment and breathed. He had spent a good portion of the last twenty hours reminiscing over what had happened the last time Data came under the influence of this so-called homing device, for it had not been pretty. This situation was different, but he somehow doubted it would be any easier this time. Riker was a confident man, perhaps even cocky at times, but there was a part of him that had serious doubts about their ability to capture Data.

Deanna Troi shifted in her seat and subtly cleared her throat. It was her wifely way of saying, _stop thinking down the situation._ He glanced at her with only the most subtle smile, and returned his attention to the screen. Sure enough, the tail end of the _Enterprise _runabout was quickly coming into view, moving at maximum warp.

"All the runabout's system appear optimal." Donovan announced, "I'm detected just one life sign. It's Commander Data."

Riker nodded, not bothering to correct the man for numbers. There were _two _people in there. Two lives they had to try and save. He stood slowly, "Open a hailing frequency."

Troi watched the screen intently, and let her senses flow out over the comm-link even more intently.

"This is Captain William T. Riker of the Federation starship _Titan. _Data, can you hear me? Please respond." Nothing. He sighed heavily, though he had doubted he would get a response. He took another step forward, "Data, listen to me. It's very likely that Maddox initiated this signal. You're running right into his trap."

Troi sighed now, shaking her head, "Even if he can hear you, I doubt he can process anything you're saying. It's just like last time. He's there, but he isn't. Only…." She frowned suddenly.

"What is it?" Riker pressed.

Troi shook her head and looked off into the distance, a clear sign that she was listening to something entirely inaudible. "I'm sensing…a great deal of conflict, a struggle."

Riker looked hopeful, "He's fighting the signal."

"No, I don't think so." Troi said, "This is one sided, and it isn't directly at the signal. I…." She shook her head again, frustrated, "I don't know."

"Talk to him." Riker said, looking back at the screen. "I don't want to take out his engines unless it's absolutely necessary. There's no telling what he would do."

Troi nodded as Riker gave the nod for the comm signal. She leaned forward, "Bee, can you hear me? Are you there?"

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_Bee, stop what you are doing. Please. _

B-4's hands moved across the console with lightning speed, making manual alterations to the warp field and shield emitters. Despite his panic and frustration, Data was impressed. There appeared to be almost no piece of knowledge to which B-4 did not now have access. Great outlays of Data's memory, which had previously been unavailable to B-4's wandering thoughts, were now little more than an open book. Data could almost sense the constant, multi-directional intrusions. Warp theory, weapons tactics, star maps, Starfleet engagement procedures; all were there for B-4 to absorb and enact. It did not bode well for Captain Riker or the _Titan. _

_You are taking us to our deaths, Bee. Maddox will destroy us both. _Even as a disembodied consciousness, Data could feel frustration and despair. It had taken him but moments to surmise that Bruce Maddox must be the source of all this. One moment he had been having a conversation with B-4 about the wedding which Lore and Anna were attending—for B-4 had found the concept utterly fascinating—only for the conversation to be dashed when B-4 suddenly disappeared.

It was that way now. Data spoke, thought, and yet he felt as if he spoke to no one. He could not _sense _B-4 at all, only his mental intrusions to his memory and the automaton-like calculations of his actions. Data could at least see what B-4 was planning to do the few seconds before he did it, but that was proving near useless.

Once again, Data attempted to force his consciousness to the forefront, the same way in which he had wrested control from B-4 when Lore was trying to "rescue" them so many months ago. Only, it was not working. The homing signal had already overtaken B-4's consciousness, and Data could not break its link. It was only because B-4 had been in control when the signal was activated. Had he been in control, as he had been a handful of times over the past four months, B-4 would be the one desperately trying to fight the homing signal. In that, Data could at least be relieved. There was a way to regain control, but it was an absolutely last ditch effort, and not one that could be undertaken without potentially disastrous results.

"_Bee, please listen to me. It's Troi." _The voice came through the comm once more, _"Stop what you're doing or we will be forced to fire upon you." _

For a fleeting moment, mere thousandths of a second, Bee was there. His fingers slowly just slightly over the console, and his eyes shifted up to the screen, but it was not enough. It was merely wind against a brick wall, and B-4 pressed on, taking the runabout to warp nine point three.

_Do not do this! _Data's frustration was mounting, far beyond anything he would have experienced were he not trapped body and soul, unable to do anything but think. He had to do something, and he knew his options were incredibly limited. Those limited options were also…unthinkable. He was not sure if he would be able to bring himself to do it.

Suddenly, the runabout shook like a rattle and the console issued a series of alarms. B-4 silenced them without hesitation and began making rapid adjustments. Data could follow his eyes as they moved, and noted that the aft shields were still intact, though weakened. B-4 was redirecting power to protect the engines. The craft shook again as the _Titan _issued another volley of phaser blasts, each clearly weak. Data was at once heartened by William Riker's delicacy while also being irritated by it. It was unlikely that weak phaser blasts were going to disable the runabout. He could at least hope that the _Titan _kept up the pursuit and was able to follow the runabout to whatever final destination they were—.

B-4 pressed a control to his far right and fired two phaser blasts. Data was unable to see where they struck, but was no less disturbed. B-4 was firing upon the _Titan! _He made an effort to follow the incursions B-4 made into his memory, thus attempting to guess his next move. A combination of Starfleet theoretical ship design combined with a litany of tactical maneuvers common to William Riker, and Data could see what B-4 was planning.

_No!_

The runabout dropped out of warp so rapidly that B-4 was forced to brace both hands against the console to keep himself from flying forward. The _Titan _careened past and over them just as B-4 took the runabout back into warp, now behind the much larger ship. Data knew what was coming. B-4 pressed a series of controls and four phaser blasts scattered across the underbellies of the _Titan's _port and starboard nacelles. The red lights of the plasma ports sputtered and dimmed, though Data was not able to see more. The _Titan _fell out warp and the runabout continued on, leaving the larger vessel behind.

It was a textbook bait and switch. B-4 had directed the first phaser blasts at the _Titan's _phaser banks, leading Riker to believe that his goal was to disable their weapons. In actuality, B-4 only wanted the _Titan _to redirect the majority of its shielding forward to protect the phaser banks, thus leaving their aft section vulnerable. Dropping out of warp and firing so quickly, they had not had time to readjust their shields before B-4 got off the shots that disabled their warp drive. Data was once again impressed.

And increasingly hopeless….

Following B-4's hands, Data watched him make a course correction and once again increase speed. Their heading initially confused Data, for he could not imagine why Maddox would direct B-4 to take them _there_. But then, a possibility became clear, and Data's sense of dread increased tenfold. If something did not happen, if someone did not find a way to stop them before it was too late, Data worried that he would have to make the decision he truly did not wish to make, for it would be like asking a human to cut off his own arm.

Even machines have their limits….


	3. Underestimating

**III.**

"_What do you want?"_

"He's altered course several times, and the signal is getting difficult to track." Geordi said.

"He's avoiding major transit routes and staying well out of range of any starships." Anna added as she leaned over the control table. She wiped her sleeve across her forehead in a subtle motion, but Lore saw it. She had not slept in almost two days now. He thought to encourage her to do so, again, but knew it would be pointless. She would only refuse.

Geordi looked up at Lore with a tense expression, "You're sure about this heading?"

Lore nodded, "He keeps changing course, but all of his corrections continue to lead him toward the same heading. He's feigning, but not well enough. I can see where he's going."

Geordi sighed heavily and ran his hand over his close cropped hair roughly, "If he makes it through the wormhole, to the Gamma Quadrant…." Geordi trailed off.

"What?" Lore pressed. Picard had already insinuated something about that, but had thought better than to give Lore the whole statement.

"We can't follow him." Geordi said tersely, "No Starfleet vessels enter the Gamma Quadrant without expressed permission, and only then on research purposes. The Dominion would see it as a provocation to restart the war—."

"I couldn't care less what he _Dominion _thinks about anything! I'll go myself, with my own ship." Lore allowed himself a quick, satisfied smile, for he had been pretty convincing when he argued with Picard about placing his personal vessel in the now vacant runabout birthing. He hadn't told any lies, for his vessel really was superior and had some tricks on board that might throw even Data. He continued, "Besides, we…we don't even know if the wormhole is his objective."

"Oh, come on!" Geordi said, tossing up his hands, "You think Maddox would be directing them to go to Bajor? Or maybe Deep Space Nine, a _Starfleet controlled _station? The wormhole is the only thing that makes sense, and it's pretty obvious why the manhunt for Maddox has been unsuccessful. He's been in the Gamma Quadrant."

Lore sneered and looked away, simply because he did not want to believe it. Believing it, and it therefore being true, would only make capturing Data and B-4 all the more difficult. The Gamma Quadrant was an unknown entity, even to him. He had never been there, and he wondered what Picard would do if Data did make it through the wormhole. Would he flout orders and follow, or would that be it?

_It sure as hell won't be it. _

"We'll be approaching Deep Space Nine any minute." Anna said. She reached across the table and touched Lore's hand, causing him to look up at her. She smiled encouragingly, "The station has a magnetic shield that can keep the wormhole from forming a stable opening. They won't let them through."

He smiled back, but once again that heady sense of doom permeated him. Hadn't Data—or B-4, whatever—taken out the _Titan's _engines with hardly any effort, and with a runabout no less? That would certainly make it into the Starfleet Academy curriculum! He supposed there was one very lucky aspect if the Gamma Quadrant was their final destination; the wormhole was the only way to get there. It would take a century just to reach the outer edges of the Gamma Quadrant under normal propulsion, and by then Maddox would be long dead.

The ship dropped out of warp, creating a vibration through the deck that only Lore, and probably LaForge, recognized. They would be coming into orbit of Deep Space Nine now, for Picard had taken his advice and decided that cutting B-4 off at the pass was the best option. They were never going to catch him by following weak signals and trying to keep up with his numerous course corrections. They would have to wait for him.

"_Picard to Lore. Report to transporter room two." _

Lore sighed and smacked the combadge he had only just recently begun wearing, "Why?"

Anna grumbled something and shook her head.

There was a pause, then, _"I'm not going to ask you again, Lore. Unless you want to spend the rest of this mission in your quarters, I would suggest you get up here. Now." _

Lore muttered something about tyrants and tapped the channel closed. Anna sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Why do you have to do that?" She said, "You may not have a rank yet, but he is your commanding officer, Lore."

Oh, how that realization rubbed him the wrong way! "He is not my _commanding officer_, and I don't see why I should—. Wait. What?"

"What?" She said, shifting her eyes suddenly.

"I don't have a rank 'yet'? What does that mean?"

Anna mumbled something unintelligible and shook her head just before Geordi came sweeping out of the control room.

"Lore! Get up to the transporter room!" Geordi huffed, "Their waiting for you!"

Lore shot him a nasty glare, but closed out his console nonetheless. If they were going down to the station, he would at least be able to see if their security was up to par. What was 'par' where Data was concerned anyway?

_Me. _

"Fine." Lore rolled his eyes and passed close to Anna has he headed out. He leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make things difficult for you with Picard."

Anna made an amused kind of smirk and said, "The Captain isn't the sort to spread blame. You're only making things hard _for you_."

"I'm going to ask you again what you meant." He warned her, "You know I don't forget things."

Anna's smirk became even more pronounced now, "Oh, yes you do. You may not actually forget, but things _do _slip your mind."

He frowned and narrowed his eyes, but she merely shrugged and looked back to her work. Lore leaned forward, forcing his face in front of hers. He smiled, "Such as?"

"Lore! The transporter room!" Geordi practically snarled. After months and months, Geordi was probably getting tired of having to answer for Lore's general surliness and disobedience, for it wasn't as if anyone had asked Geordi's opinion when Lore became a kind of default member of the engineering crew.

Anna smirked again and said, "Yes, Lore. The transporter room. Now!"

"This isn't _oooover_…." He said in a sing-song voice as he made his way toward the exit. In the midst of everything, he found himself smiling. While he was on his way to a space station to make some attempt to save his brothers' lives, he was _actually_ smiling. It was just one of the many reasons why he loved Anna Hall. Still, it did not take long for the reality of the situation to once again take hold, and by the time he reached the transporter room his face was a stone mask.

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Lore was familiar with stations like Deep Space Nine, for he had actually visited several Cardassian stations in his previous life. _Previous life _being a kind euphemism that had become a sort of established phrase within Anna's family, since her sister Amy had made it up one evening. Asking Lore about his past was a minefield, but the Halls seemed unable to resist. So, in his _previous life_, he had had dealing aboard such places. He knew the layout well enough, though he suspected Starfleet and the Bajorans had made substantial alterations.

"Where do you house the magnetic field generator for destabilizing the wormhole?" Lore demanded as he began scanning the room. They had just exited the turbo life onto the command deck of the station.

An athletic Bajoran woman with short red hair and narrowed eyes stepped down from the upper platform. She wore a Starfleet uniform and sported the rank of Commander on her collar. She gave Lore an irritated look before turning to Picard.

"Captain Picard, I got your emergency message a few hours ago. Let me assure you that we have everything under control. The last scheduled ships made their entry less than an hour ago, and I've already shut down all traffic. Worf." She made a professional nod in the Klingon's direction, "It's good to see you again."

"You as well, Commander." Worf replied.

"Thank you, Commander Kira." Picard offered, "I've ordered the _Enterprise _to set up position near the mouth of the wormhole. As I explained in my message, Commander Data is not to be underestimated. If there is any way to get through that wormhole, he'll find it."

Kira shot a quick glance in Lore's direction, frowned, and said, "I take it that's why he's here? To give you some insight into what Commander Data is capable of, right?"

Lore rolled his eyes, "_I _am here to keep my brother from going to his death. Now, where is the control room for the field generator?"

Kira folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, "I'm sorry. That's classified information."

"What!" Lore narrowed his eyes angrily.

Kira turned to Captain Picard, "Captain, I'm sorry, but this station is under dual control with the Bajoran government and information like this is heavily restricted. We couldn't allow such information to become public for security reasons."

Lore laughed bitterly, "It's going to become public all right when Data gets here and goes straight to disable your field generator. I might be able to stop him if I can wait for him there."

Kira's eyes widened, "That shield generator is so well hidden it took a team of Starfleet security experts six hours to find it, and then it took them another three hours just to get in the room."

Lore waved a dismissive hand in her direction and turned toward the turbo lift.

"Where are you going?" Picard demanded.

"I'm going to find the field generator and gain access to it." Lore replied, "In _less _than six hours, believe me."

"Do that and I'll have you arrested!" Kira declared, once again folding her arms and shaking her head, as if Lore was the greatest idiot she had ever met.

Lore smirked, "Great. Then you'll be able to see how useless your security personnel will be against Data too." He backed into the turbo lift.

Kira glanced at Picard and Worf, no doubt wondering if they were going to say anything. Finally, Picard sighed and said, "Lore, if Commander Kira issues an arrest warrant for you, I will be obligated to help her carry it out."

Lore's eyes widened for a just a moment, and he was absolutely certain he saw the hint of guilty delight in Picard's eyes. It was very subtle, for that was Picard. Subtle. The delight in Worf's eyes, however, was about as subtle as a plasma fire. He couldn't help himself, and he said, "You would do that?"

"Absolutely." Worf replied.

Picard raised his hands, "Data is _not _going to get past that field."

Lore hesitated, shifting his weight. Damned if he didn't want to tell each of them, individually and in his own special way, to go to hell, but the last thing he needed was to be locked in a holding cell when Data and B-4 did finally show up. And they would show up. Of that, he had no doubt. Why was it that everywhere he seemed to go he was threatened with arrest? This was getting boring.

"I'm not going back to the _Enterprise." _He said through clenched teeth, "Once they discover the field, they _will _try to disable it, and I'm going to be here when they try."

"They?" Kira said with a frown. Picard gave her a shake of his head, indicating that he would explain later. Kira sighed heavily and said, "Fine. By all means. The _promenade _is at your disposal."

Lore connected eyes with Commander Kira and could not help but think of Buel Kala, the Bajoran woman who had helped Narok Reed to kidnap Anna and almost murder her. Of course, in the end he owed his life and Anna's to her and her last minute change of heart. Kira struck him, for some reason, as being just as hard, and he wondered what he had done in his _previous life _ to piss this one off too. Maybe nothing. Maybe she was just like this with everyone.

"The promenade?" Lore spat. "You expect me to wait in a _bar_?"

Kira shrugged her shoulders, "You're a civilian. You don't even have clearance to be up here. It's the promenade or nothing." She faced Picard, "I'm sorry, Captain, but I don't get much leeway around here with personnel access. If he had a field commission or something I could—."

Lore actually burst out laughing and backed into the turbo lift. "Don't hold your breath, _Commander. _Just take this advice. Don't post security personnel at the access point to the field generator. They won't be able to stop Data anyway, and I have no idea if he will hesitate in killing them."

Picard's eyes widened before he frowned angrily, "That is a ridiculous proposition."

"Is it?" Lore said, suddenly serious. "The only other person to use this homing device was my father, and he had sound ethics and morality. He no doubt issued basic ethical guidelines along with the objective of arriving at the final destination. Do you think Maddox would have done the same thing?"

Picard closed his eyes for just a moment, for the possibility had truly not occurred to him. It presented other, horrible possibilities. If Lore was right, and Data and B-4 had no ethical limits hindering them, they might try to hurt or kill someone, which might leave Picard with a very difficult choice.

Lore stepped fully back into the turbo lift and folded his arms across his chest, "It's not so pretty now, is it? I'll be on the promenade, Picard, _not _drawing attention to myself and causing a general disturbance."

Kira balked.

"Oh, what?" Lore said sarcastically, "You didn't think that was going to happen?"

"Lore, damnit—!" Picard began.

"Relax, Captain. I'll be good. When am I not?" He smirked one last time as he pressed the panel and sent the lift cascading down. Truthfully, he was in no mood for this game. He had no interest in causing a seen or doing any of the other diversions that brought him so much amusement, but the other option was to stew angrily until he broke the rules and wound up in a holding cell. Anna was right. He had no rank, but he still had to do things he didn't want to do if he wanted to remain about the _Enterprise _with her. If Picard ever ejected him, he knew Anna would give up her career to be with him, and he wasn't prepared to let her do something like that.

For now, it was the rules. The stupid, human-controlled, _bullshit _rules.

_Great. _

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"This feels a little ridiculous." Anna muttered as she peered out into the promenade and through the large viewports facing the wormhole. There was no vessel traffic outside at the moment, since the wormhole had been shut down for several hours.

"What does?" Lore asked, though he suspected her answer.

She sighed, "_This. _We're waiting for Data and Bee to show up and do God-knows-what to get through that wormhole and we're…sitting in a bar? I feel like we should be doing something."

"I know, but the station commander won't let me anywhere near her precious field generator, and other than that there isn't much to do." He said, "I considered returning to the _Enterprise_ but the shield generator could interfere with transporting back if necessary. I have to be here when he arrives."

Anna nodded. She knew, and despite the fact that they were indeed sitting on high-chairs next to a bar, there was nothing casual about what was going on. They were waiting for what could possibly be one of the worst moments of their lives, or at least Lore's. Anna glanced at him and could see the worry he was trying to keep from his face, and it was well founded. He had told her about the possibility that Data and Bee might not have any moral restraints to killing anyone, and the Deep Space Nine crew would be less reticent about firing first if it came to that. Anna didn't want to think about what might happen if the worst came to pass. How would Lore react? What would be do?

She shuddered and picked up the synthehol drink she had been nursing for nearly a half hour. The ice had melted and the drink had gone flat and waterlogged.

"Allow me." Said the bartender, who slid a fresh drink in Anna's direction.

Lore looked at the Quark, the Ferengi proprietor of the establishment, with a lightly veiled suspicion. The man had been overly attentive since their arrival, and Lore was rather certain he had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Oh, no thank you." Anna said, sliding the glass back, "I only brought a few slips of latinum with me."

"Bah!" Quark waved a hand, "It's on the house."

Now Lore knew the man was eavesdropping. A Ferengi was more likely to cut off his own finger than give something away for free. And then he would try to sell the severed finger.

"What do you want?" Lore said flatly as he leaned back in his chair.

Anna glanced at Lore before returning her gaze to Quark. She gave him the same suspicious look.

Quark twisted the towel in his hands and looked around for a moment, which was not exactly the most subtle motion in the world. Finally, he leaned over the bar with shifty eyes, "Tell me what's going on. Colonel Kira hasn't said a word about why the wormhole is shut down, and I've got customers who are starting to get nervous. There's talk of the Dominion building up a fleet on the other side."

Lore rolled his eyes and made some kind of exasperated groan. Anna shook her head quickly, "No, it's nothing like that. We're trying to stop someone from entering the wormhole at this end."

"Is it classified?" Quark went on. He was now leaning so far over the bar that Anna drew back, taking her drink along with her, "Who is it? Some kind of fugitive?"

Anna shook her head and was about to issue another vague correction, when Lore touched her arm meaningfully. She glanced at him as he leaned toward Quark and grinned.

"A fugitive? Absolutely. In fact, the most dangerous fugitive you could possibly imagine. I've been trying to warn your station commander, but she doesn't want to listen. He'll be here soon and he will do what he has to do to shut down the station's disruption field so that he can reach the Gamma Quadrant."

Quark's jaw fell open and he looked swiftly from side to side, as if trying to see if anyone else had overheard. The man's eyes virtually twinkled with the elicit information.

Anna leaned close to Lore, her brow wrinkled up in confusion. She whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Causing trouble." He whispered playfully.

"Lore…." Anna groaned.

"Don't worry. There's a point to this." He assured her. He faced Quark again, "Do you know what a Soong type android is?"

Quark scoffed and began cleaning out Anna's first glass with his towel, "Of course I do, I'm not an idiot. That's you, right? Data's the name? Starfleet made you a Commander or something. The…_Enterprise_, if I remember correctly."

_It just keeps getting better…._ Lore had to resist the urge to laugh, and Anna actually lowered her face into her hands to stop from laughing. It wasn't everyday they encountered someone so terribly misinformed.

"Not…exactly." Lore replied, "But the person coming here is very much like me, and this station's security personnel have no idea what they're up against. I might be able to stop him, though, if I knew where the disruptor field generator was located."

"What are you doing?" Anna muttered into her glass, covering it with a short sip. One of the benefits of Lore's advanced sense of hearing was that she could hold one way conversations with him without barely breathing a word, despite the fact that they were mere feet away from the ears of a Ferengi.

Quark's beady eyes narrowed and he folded his arms across the flamboyant open collar of his suit, "If you don't know, it's because they didn't tell you. But…." He scrunched up his face in confusion, "Why wouldn't they tell a Starfleet Commander?"

"Because he _isn't_ a Starfleet Commander."

Lore spun around to find the object of his newest irritation, and encountered a tall, rather slightly built, man with ashy brown hair. He stood with hands held behind his back and looked Lore over like he was examining a fascinating statue.

"You must be Lore." The man said, smiling and extending his hand, "This is fascinating! I met Data years ago, but was only able to spend a few hours with him."

"And who are you?" Lore demanded. He had gotten out of the habit of being unnecessarily rude to strangers, but when it came to someone who had just ruined one of his schemes, he most certainly found it _necessary. _

"Oh, sorry. Julian Bashir. I'm the chief medical officer on the station." He continued to stare directly at Lore, shaking his head with fascination, "You look almost exactly like Data looked when I met him. I understand he has an aging program of some kind, but I haven't seen him in years. Are you younger? No, wait. I remember reading that you're the older one—."

"I surpass Data in many things, including vanity." Lore retorted. "If you're very unlucky, you'll meet Data again soon. He's on his way here, and _not _to chat about his aging program."

Bashir frowned and nodded, "Yes, I know. Commander Kira briefed us."

"Wait a minute! So you're the other one?" Quark declared. Oddly enough, he seemed more outraged than worried, "Well that's just great…."

Lore ignored the Ferengi and returned his attention to Dr. Bashir. Just before he uttered another word, he and Anna's commbadges chirped.

"_Lore," Came the voice of Commander Madden, "be advised that we've detected the runabout. It's entering the system at high warp now." _

Lore hopped down from his seat and down the few steps leading away from Quark's bar. He made a straight line for the tall viewports at the far side of the promenade. They faced the blank stretch of starscape where the wormhole would usually appear.

Anna was at his side in an instant, but like him she felt helpless. Data would have to board the station. Until then, it was up to the _Enterprise _to try to capture the runabout.

Lore turned to Anna suddenly, his face very serious, "Anna, listen to me. I don't want you to come with me if I have to follow Data, if he boards the station."

"What?" She objected immediately, "You might need help if he tries to set up any force fields or—."

"Please, just do this for me!" He whispered harshly, "Don't go anywhere near Bee. Please." He hoped the seriously in his expression told her everything else, for if a moment came where he would have to choose between protecting her and killing Data he knew which choice he would make. He also knew Anna would blame herself forever.

Anna opened her mouth, but whether it was to object or agree he would never know. At that moment the runabout appeared. It dropped out of warp in a stretch of light so close to the station that the decks rumbled. Dropping out of warp so close to an object was a feat of flight control skill that most pilots wouldn't risk. It was just one more indication that Data and B-4's reasoning skills were completely beyond their control.

Lore watched in useless suspense at the _Enterprise _moved it and immediately grabbed the runabout in a tractor beam. Although they could not see it, he also knew that LaForge would be attempting to extend the ship's shields around the runabout in a further attempt to control the craft. Lore had already outlined the potential methods Data would utilize in getting out of that trap, and he could only hope they heeded his warnings with enough speed.

Bystanders on the promenade had taken notice of the action outside and were now gawking toward the viewports as well. The runabout began to move toward the _Enterprise_, but not fast enough. It was clear that the runabout was fighting the pull with a substantial amount of energy. In fact, it was fighting too much. Lore moved closer to the viewport as he saw the runabout engines flare up and down, fighting the tremendous pull of the tractor beam. His eyes widened, for he knew that if the runabout pulled too hard, it would cause….

"No, no…." He muttered, clenching his fists at his sides.

The runabout shook so violently that it was visible to the naked eyes. The entire assembly of bystanders gasped, and some actually moved away from the viewports in fear.

Lore tapped his combadge, "LaForge! He's trying to overload the tractor beam! Release him and—."

In a violent flash, the _Enterprise _lost the connection of the tractor beam, sending both craft wielding away from one another. The _Enterprise _was far more massive and shifted only a little, but the runabout suddenly flew backward, as if it had been pulling against a rope that had finally severed. The craft toppled end over end for a few seconds, but it was clear that control as completely gone. Lore ran to the viewport and pressed his hands against the cold glass, trying desperately to see beyond the curve of the view, just as the runabout slammed into the upper most portion of one of the station's docking pylons. The station barely vibrated as the runabout split like a broken toy and disintegrated into a ball of flames.

"No!" Lore cried. He clutched at the sides of his head as the station alarms began to sound. Bystanders on the promenade fled in all directions. Anna rushed to Lore and tried to put her hands on his cheeks as he seemed to collapse against the viewport.

"Lore! Look at me! We don't know yet." Her voice was strained and desperate as she tried to pull his attention toward her, "Listen to me. We don't know."

Lore shook his head and turned his eyes back toward the viewport. There was nothing left. Scraps. The runabout had been completely destroyed.

Anna tapped her badge, "Hall to LaForge! Sir, were the _Enterprise _shields over the runabout when it broke loose?"

There was a long pause, too long, and Anna could feel Lore's composure breaking down into nothing. Finally, a beep, and LaForge replied, "No. We weren't able to extend them because he was emitting some kind of disruption field. We're making scans now. Stand by."

Lore's eyes shot open, for they had been clenched shut like a vice. Data had disrupted the shields, and doing that effectively would have required some previous preparations. A tiny fragment of hope entered his thoughts, but it was enough to make his gasp and laugh like a lunatic.

"Oh! Very smart, Data!" Lore cried, still laughing madly.

"What? What is it?" Anna said.

"He planned it. The clever bastard planned it!" Lore ran his hands over his face again, "I have to get to the command deck. He's here. Somewhere."

Lore fled in the direction of the turbo lift, leaving Anna near the viewport. She made to follow, but hesitated. After a moment, she turned and headed in the direction of the transporter room to return to the_ Enterprise._

_NOTE**I've gotten some questions with regards to the DS9 characters, so I'll just give a really quick setup here:_

_The story at this point is happening more than five years after the last episode of_ DS9,which would have been in 2375._ After the Dominion War ended, many of the DS9 crew left the station or moved on. At this point, the only DS9 characters still remaining aboard the station are Commander (Colonel) Kira, Dr. Bashir, Ezri Dax, Quark. _

_Miles O'Brien moved to Earth to teach at Starfleet Academy._

_Odo returned to the Founder's homework and rejoined the Great Link. _

_Captain Sisko vanished (something to do with the Prophets in the wormhole)._

_Worf is, obviously, back aboard the Enterprise. _

_Rom became a Starfleet officer and serves on a ship somewhere. _

_Nog and his wife moved, I think, to Ferenginar. _

_So, this was the general canon setup put forth in the last DS9 epsiode, "What We Leave Behind". _

_Cheers! =)_


	4. No Limits

**IV.**

"_Oh, that's just _wonderful!_"_

Data tried to direct his thoughts to useless subjects, thinking perhaps that it was the very flow of his own thoughts that was leading B-4 to access his memories, but the exercise was clearly pointless. While he thought about painting and the poetry of John Dunne, B-4 still had no trouble accessing everything Data knew about Deep Space Nine and Cardassian _Nor _type space-stations. It was not a complete catch-all, however, for which Data could at least be grateful. It was not as if B-4 could perform a word search on Data's memory, and then consume everything that resulted. Memory, even android memory, did not quite work that way. If it did, B-4 would no doubt already be aware of a few things that Data desperately hoped he did not discover. If he did, Lore and Captain Picard would have no hope of stopping them.

They materialized in a section of corridor somewhere in the upper decks of one of the station's docking pylons. There was no one in either direction, and B-4 made a straight path for the nearest maintenance tunnel hatch. Once inside, he began making a swift descent down a narrow ladder well. Data knew his brother's objective was to locate the station's disruption field generator, but how he planned to do that was a mystery to him. He lacked the ability to know what B-4 was planning or what memories he had managed to access. It was only through his actions that he was able to guess what would come next.

_Bee, you must not do this. Please. _He continued to make pleas while knowing they were useless. B-4 was not there; he was not listening. He could only watch in a kind of drawn back view as B-4 reached the bottom of the ladder well and turned toward the nearest hatch. He opened it and emerged into another empty corridor. The collision of the runabout would have put the facility on red alert, which explained why the corridors were currently empty.

Suddenly, there were voices up ahead. B-4 made a sharp right down another corridor and continued away from the approaching footsteps. He was heading for a small junction room that should house controls for the pylon airlocks, but would also have a computer access point. All of this information was dated, but unlikely to be any different now. Luck did not appear on Data's side.

B-4 entered the junction room and was immediately met with a startled crewman. The man turned and stretched toward the wall, his hand brushing the alarm just before B-4 grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him back.

_No, Bee! _

The man slammed into the wall beside the door as B-4 yanked him back. His head hit the wall with a dull thud and he fell unconscious. Data looked in horror for as long as he could, but B-4 did not spare another glance for the motionless man. He diverted his full attention to the computer terminal and began the complex operation of breaking through the basic levels of the station's security. B-4 would not have the benefit of Lore's access code here, but his actions gave Data pause to be relieved. Clearly B-4 had not discovered what Data dreaded he would, otherwise he would not be currently wasting time hacking into the station security system. It could take quite some time, and then hours beyond that to locate the generator. Every minute he remained aboard the station was another minute Lore had to stop him, and then there was the problem of transportation now that the runabout had been destroyed—

B-4 froze in his actions and cocked his head in a twitching, emotionless manner. It lasted for only a second before he cleared the computer of everything he had been doing and brought up the basic login screen. B-4 began to enter a very long, very complex access code that Data easily recognized.

Data's non-corporeal heart sank. He had waited too long and his worst fears had been realized. Now that only one option remained, he hoped he was not too late.

(*)

"He's in docking pylon two, deck six!" Kira announced as she came down from the upper platform, "What are you doing in here?"

Lore gave her a choice scowl and exited the turbo lift, "Spare me your regulated outrage. If you're sending security teams, don't. You're wasting your time and probably putting them in danger. Tell me where the generator is."

"No." Kira said. She turned away from him in a clear show of dismissal, "Leave the bridge, or I'll have you removed."

"Really? How?" He challenged. "And how do you know he's on deck six?"

"Kira to security! Send a team up to the bridge—."

"_Foster to Commander Kira." _A rushed voice flooded over the comm. _"Commander, I just found crewman Roland in one of the junction rooms on deck six._"

Lore froze. He didn't even breathe. He was waiting to hear the dreaded words.

Kira cursed under her breath, "What's his condition?"

"_Unconscious, Commander, and a severe concussion but I think he'll be okay." _

Lore sighed with relief, but it wasn't total. A severe concussion was awfully close to the line. Too close for it to have been an intentional stopping point. _I was right. They have no limits. _

He rushed toward Kira and leaned across the console separating them, "He's just the first, I'm telling you! Tell me where the generator is!"

"He's on deck six, nowhere near the generator!" Kira countered, "He doesn't know where it is, and he isn't going to find it. You want to help us? Go with the security team to docking pylon two and search for him."

"Search?" Lore sneered, "You mean you can't locate him?"

Kira's jaw clenched and she looked to one of her bridge officers. The man shook his head in some silent communication. "No." She finally admitted, "I can't figure out how he's doing it, but he stopped registering on the station sensors just a few minutes after he transported."

How would _he_ have done it? That was the question on Lore's mind. He would have hacked into the station's computer and disabled the personnel tracker, but that would have taken much longer, even for Data, and not enough time had passed. He also might have sabotaged a primary sensor bundle but, once again, that would have taken longer and Data was nowhere near sensor control!

"He won't use the transporter again." Lore thought aloud, "I'm going to main security. I can watch the surveillance feeds simultaneously and see if he—."

"Commander!" One of the officers at the back of the bridge actually stood from his seat, his eyes fixed on the console in disbelief. "I just got a breach alarm on the outer force-field around the generator."

"What? That's impossible!" Kira took the steps two at a time as she joined the man and looked over his station. Her ivory skin took on a reddish color.

The urge to yell 'I told you so' was nowhere in Lore's mind, which truly said something for the dire nature of the situation. Even he was at a loss. This was impossible, even for Data. How could he have located the generator already?

Kira was still starring off, but her mind was racing, and Lore could see it.

"What?" He demanded, "You know something."

"Bring up the access logs for that terminal on deck six!" Kira ordered. She moved to another console and began looking over the results. Her red complexion went to something like green.

Lore flew up the steps and pressed beside her. He saw a series of login entries, the last of which looked much different from the others. The code was exceptionally long, more than two hundred characters, and it was not associated with a name. What was worse, the code was marked as allowing alpha one clearance

"I don't believe this!" Kira smacked the console, "We should have been warned!" Her accusing eyes were fixed directly on Lore.

"Don't look at me like that." He sneered, "I don't know what this is."

"What this is?" She said, her big almond eyes narrowing, "What this _is _is a fleet wide alpha one access code!"

_And what the hell does that mean? _Before he could ask the question, Kira was moving past him and tapping her commbadge, "Commander Kira to _Enterprise."_

"_Picard here, Commander." _Came Picard's tense voice.

"Captain, would you like to explain how your former second officer has a Starfleet Intelligence access code?"

There was a momentary pause during which Lore could imagine Picard's face turning to stone. He, however, started laughing bitterly.

"Starfleet intelligence?" Lore spat, "Oh, that's just _wonderful!"_

"_Data participated in several covert missions during the Dominion war." _Picard replied. He voice had become icy and dejected, for no doubt he had already realized his lapse, _"If he was given an alpha one clearance, it would have been classified. That's why I didn't know." _

"What does he have access to?" Lore demanded as he came to Kira's side again. She was thinking and not listening to him. He pressed her, "What's his access?"

"Everything." She finally admitted, "That code has a full override of Starfleet systems. It…it was intended for counter-espionage. He could go right into the restricted files and locate the generator."

"Picard is a Captain. He can override it—."

"No." Kira shook her head, "He can't. This station is still classified a potential Dominion target. Intelligence codes have priority in our systems."

"This is ridiculous!" Lore could feel all his hopes crashing again. Data and B-4 had found a way, just as he had dreaded they would. "Picard! Data was officially declared dead for months! How can this code still be valid?"

"Intelligence codes don't expire." Kira said, "They don't have to. They're known only to the agent. Why do you think it didn't have a name attached to it?"

"I don't care!" Lore cried suddenly, "We're wasting time now. Tell me where the generator is. Now!"

Kira hesitated only a moment. There was no point anymore, not if Data was disabling the generator as they spoke. "Section three of the main promenade, second deck."

"The promenade?" Lore said, incredulous.

"It's housed in a room that looks like a vacant shop. Believe me, no one would ever look there. I'm sending a security team as well. Go."

Lore rushed into the lift and directed it toward the promenade deck. As he paced back and forth in the tiny space he ran over his possible options. He had to subdue B-4 without damaging him. A phaser on maximum stun would be enough, unless B-4 had conjured some defense or—and this was what truly worried Lore—he was armed too. As soon as the lift reached the promenade deck he rushed out and climbed the nearest flight of steps leading to the upper balcony deck. A security team, headed up by Worf, was already coming in the other direction.

"There." Worf said, indicated a dark, shuttered space on the other side of the gallery. It truly did have the look of an unused store-front, and there were even upturned chairs visible through the front display glass. Lore motioned for a weapon and Worf, reluctantly, handing him a sidearm. Lore altered the stun setting and headed toward the doors, which were secured with a elementary magnetic lock. Lore grabbed the top of it and tore it away from the door with a loud snap.

"Subtle." One of the guards muttered.

"There's no point in being quiet." Lore retorted, "He can hear your heartbeat from this distance." He pulled the door open and walked into the dark space. There was a back room with another secured door, but Lore doubted getting in there would be as easy. He could hear the very soft hum of an active force field.

Worf tapped his combadge, "Worf to Commander Kira. Is this space accessible from the deck below?"

"_There aren't any access points, if that's what you mean, but our breach alarm did indicate the between deck force-field had been disabled." _

Lore made a tisking sound, "Very clever, Bee. Why go through the door when you can just break through the wall?"

He reached the narrow door at the back of the room and once again removed the locking mechanism with a swipe of his arm. It was clear that the locks were just for show, or for petty criminals who had no idea what they were getting into. The real security was behind the door. Lore drew a deep breath and forced the door open.

B-4 looked up instantly. He was kneeling next to a broken access panel on a massive black device that nearly filled the room. The generator hummed and buzzed as it continued its work. B-4 continue his as if Lore's presence were nothing.

"Bee! Step back!" Lore ordered as he rushed forward. As he had suspected, he crashed into a force field mere feet from the generator. B-4 went back to his work, not sparing him another glance.

Lore moved to the side to get a better look at B-4. He could not see any weapons, but he was being mostly blocked by the generator. He looked at Worf, who nodded.

"Commander." Worf said, "Can you disable the remaining force field?"

"_Yes. Are you ready?" _

Lore stepped back and grasped the phaser in his hand. He had the most ridiculous thought pop into his head; had he been human he would have been sweating profusely at that moment. He nodded to Worf.

The blur of activity that followed was such that Worf would barely be able to give a report when it was all over. B-4 lifted a phaser and fired two rapid blasts into the open access panel of the generator. The device sputtered and produced an earsplitting ring before a section of it blew outward toward the wall. The security team fell back as shrapnel and a concussive blast knocked them off their feet. Worf managed to take cover behind an upturned table, but the explosion left his ears ringing.

Lore rushed through the haze of the aftermath and fired twice, but B-4 managed to dodge both blasts before he disappeared behind the generator. Lore followed with determination. In the back of his mind he was cursing himself, for his easier option to disabling B-4 would have been the emergency switch in his brother's lower back, but he had removed that embarrassing liability months ago in an effort to protect his brother from anyone who might wish to disable him. It was a bitter irony now. He came around the generator and raised his weapon at…nothing. He faced a dead-end where the generator butted up against the bulked and B-4 was nowhere to be seen.

He lowered his eyes to the deck and saw the empty space under the generator housing just as a white hand reached out and swiped his feet from under him. Lore fell backwards as B-4 emerged from the space and grabbed his wrist. They were matched strength for strength, but B-4 had the advantage of leverage. He pressed his boot against the bend of Lore's elbow and kicked down viciously, pulling the phaser from Lore's grasp.

_He's going to kill me. _Lore twisted around and scrambled to his feet just as a blast barely missed him and struck the side of the struggling generator. Another blast followed, striking Lore in the foot and sending him crashing forward as the servos in his leg became nonresponsive. He twisted around just in time to see B-4 raise the weapon again and point it directly at Lore. For some reason, which Lore could not quite understand, he very much doubted the phaser was still set to stun.

"Data!" Worf belted just as he raised his phaser rifle and fired. B-4 was able to dodge just in time to make it a glancing blow, but it was enough to make him lose his grip on the phaser and throw him back against the generator.

B-4 lifted his head, and the emotionless tone of his voice sent chills through Lore's heart, "Computer, targeted force field with a three second sweep. Engage."

Suddenly, the force field that they had just deactivated reappeared and began a rapid sweep toward the front of the room. Worf leapt back just as the other guards stumbled to their feet, desperate to keep ahead of the sparking wall of energy coming at them. Lore rose on his still functioning leg and stumbled forward, but he could not move fast enough. The field struck him from behind, sending a crippling bolt of energy through his body. His thoughts became rattled and fragmented. He no longer knew where he was, what was happening, or why he could not move his limbs. Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, a thought did form.

_Don't do this to me, Bee. Please. _

Worf fell through the door to the front room just as the force field reached the wall and died. The generator sputtered and appeared to cause some kind of energy discharge that disrupted power in the entire section. The emergency lights put a red glow to everything. Worf rose to his feet once more and aimed his rifle, but he was not fast enough. A blast struck him in the shoulder and sent him down on one knee. He lifted the rifle and fired on full stun, but struck nothing. In the dim room, he saw nothing. B-4 was gone.

He struggled to his feet and tapped his badge, "Commander! Check the surveillance feed for the deck below. B-4 has escaped, I believe through the same way he entered."

"_Understood! What's your situation?" _

Worf struggled to keep his footing as pain shot through his entire body. His head was still ringing, but he managed to make his way toward Lore's still form. What he saw startled even him. Lore lay on his side with his eyes wide open, but he did not appear to be looking at anything. His head and shoulders twitched repeatedly, and a kind of black vein scarring was etched across his white face.

"Lore! Can you hear me?"

Lore heard nothing.

"Worf to _Enterprise! _ Captain, Lore has been severely injured and B-4 has escaped."

(*)

The path to the docking ring was clear except for a few civilians who were not where they should have been. At the sight of B-4's purposeful stride, they fled in the opposite direction. B-4 stopped at an airlock and entered a shortened version of Data's SI clearance code. The airlock opened with no trouble.

Data could not blame B-4. He knew that, and yet he could not help the anger that permeated his thoughts. He had no idea if Lore was dead, but it was a distinct possibility. B-4 had gone out of his way to increase that force field's output well beyond its typical design, and for just such a purpose. Lore had been the primary threat, after all.

_I did not want to do this, Bee. I am sorry. _

Nothing happened right away, and nothing Data did stopped B-4 from entered the airlock and commandeering the Bajoran shuttle that was docked there. What he was doing would take much longer, and he could only reproach himself for not having made the decision sooner. All might be lost in any case because of his reluctance. One by one, Data began to shut down the pathways in his neural net. It would take some time, but eventually there would be a near total loss of memory cohesion. It was the only option left.

_I am sorry, Bee. _

B-4 did not hear him and did not respond as he brought the little vessel's engines online. Data had no idea what would happen after he completely his task, but he could at least be certain that it was better than the alternative.


	5. On the TableAgain

**V.**

"_Are we going after Data or not?"_

"Bee, what are you doing?"

B-4 turned around and smiled at his younger brother. His hands were still hidden from view, though Lore got the impression this was not purposeful.

"I am playing with Devon Marshall's bird." B-4 said, almost proudly.

Lore frowned and continued to walk forward. They weren't supposed to be away from the compound by themselves. Mother and father had told them that the colonists did not like it, that it frightened them, though Lore could not understand why. Neither of them had ever done anything to justify that fear.

"I don't hear a bird." Lore replied. "Let me see it—."

B-4 lifted his hands to show Lore a large and exotic parrot, a creature that had been brought to the colony from Earth some time ago. Everyone knew about the animal, for it made loud noises at all hours of the day and was the subject of regular consternation among the colonists; though it would not be making sounds any more. The animal hung lifeless in B-4's grasp, its neck flopping to the side.

Lore gasped and looked all around quickly, "Bee, what have you done? Did you kill the bird?"

"Kill?" B-4's eyes were wide and wondrous. His blinking program had not yet been installed, and it gave him an endlessly child-like quality. He smiled, "I made the bird stop singing. Father does not like the singing. Mother cannot sleep with the singing."

Lore cringed and was coming close to panic. This was bad. If father found out he would be angry, and the colonists would want B-4 punished for what he had done. He moved close to his brother and grabbed his shoulder.

"You killed that bird, Bee. It's dead! You did a bad thing. What are we going to do now?"

B-4's wondrous eyes drew down and his expression turned fearful, "Bad…no. I do not want to be bad. Bad is…bad."

Lore tried to sooth his brother, explain that everything would be okay so long as he never did such a thing again, but…it was all wrong. No. This was not the way the events had happened, not at all! In a bizarre kind of dichotomy, Lore could remembered that day as it was, but he was seeing it now as it should have been. He _should _have told B-4 that his actions were wrong. He _should _have tried to calm him and explain to him the concept of death. But he hadn't. That had not been his way…then.

Instead, he had taken the dead bird from B-4's grasp, tossed it aside into the underbrush, and told him not to worry because it was just a bird and it didn't matter. In fact, he had praised B-4 for taking the initiative that everyone else seemed too weak to pursue. The animal had been a problem, the problem was now gone. Too bad the stupid colonists wouldn't have seen it that way, and thus he had been forced to convince B-4 to keep his mouth shut about everything.

Yes, _that _was the way it had really happened.

_Why am I thinking about this now? Where am I? _

"Geordi, I'm getting a reading on that fifth memory bundle. We have connectivity now."

It was Crusher's voice, somewhere in the distance. _Ah, that's right. I'm on the Enterprise. _Why was he having so much trouble remembering that?

"What about six through nine?" Asked another voice. This one was lower, more tense. It was Anna. She sounded upset.

"I have them stabilized now." Crusher replied, gently, "We just have to reconnect them. It's going to be okay."

Lore was about to wonder _what _was going to be okay, but a sudden reconnection of another memory bundle answered that question. It was him. _He _was the 'what' and _he _was going to be okay. _Oh. Well, that's good…._

Another reconnection reminded him of how he had gotten there and why he was not—at the moment—okay. A few more reconnections and Lore was seething with anger and worry. He shouldn't be angry at B-4, since nothing he had done was his fault, but who the hell thinks rationally when they're almost killed?

_Damnit, Bee! _Lore realized at that moment that he had been able to see the entire time, that in fact his eyes had been open, but he had simply been too lost to acknowledge the things around him. He now saw hands moving in front of his face, wisps of red hair moving past. He made to turn his head and, realizing that he could, sat up and moved to turn his legs off the side of the table.

"Whoa! Hold still! We're not finished!" Crusher commanded as she pressed a hand to his chest.

For once, Lore did not object. His internal diagnostic program wasn't working, and he was unable to gauge the extent of his damage. Besides, Anna was standing in front of him now, blocking his path away from the table, and the sight of her sent his thoughts in a different direction. Oddly, he seemed incapable of sticking to a single train of throught.

"Oh, there you are Anna." He said, smiling. "You look beautiful today. You always look beautiful."

Anna's eyes widened for a moment and she gave Crusher a worried frown. Lore said such things to her all the time, but…not in front of other people.

"I still have several reconnections to make. Don't move." Crusher said as she continued to work at the small open panel just behind Lore's ear.

"Fine." Lore sighed, "I can't make the connections myself, so I'll just have to tolerate your slow speed. Crusher, I'm glad you changed your hair color back to its natural red. You look much better this way."

_Shit. Why did I just say that?_

Crusher actually stopped her work and gawked at him.

Geordi laughed and said, "Maybe we should reconnect that speech filter in his expressive subroutine first, before he says something he'll regret."

"I almost never regret the things I say." Lore said matter-of-factly. He turned his attention back to Anna, "I'm worried about Data and B-4. Where are they? Did they make it through the wormhole?"

Anna sighed and nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry. We tried to catch him again with the tractor beam, but he was too close to the event horizon and the beam destabilized."

"Did we follow him? Are we in the Gamma Quadrant?" Lore continued.

Anna cringed and bit her lower lips slightly, "No. Captain Picard is arguing with Starfleet Command right now. He's trying to convince them that—."

"I see." He said, sighing slightly, "If Starfleet Command doesn't allow it, I'll just take my vessel and go after him myself. I want you to come with me because I love being around you, but I _don't_ want you to come with me because it will be dangerous. I really hate it when I have these conflicts!" He laughed suddenly, "I don't like that you're anxious, but I do like it when you bite your lower lip that way. It reminds of—."

Anna clamped both of her hands over Lore's mouth and cringed. It was clear that not only was Lore having trouble censoring his thoughts, but his trains of thought were moving around with no apparent priority. He should be primarily concerned with finding B-4 and Data. She gave Crusher a worried, embarrassed look.

"Alright, that's the last connection." Crusher announced, shifting her eyes, "It should only take a few minutes for all the subroutines to come back online."

Geordi sighed heavily, as if he had just released a great weight, "That was one hell of a close call, Lore. We almost lost total cohesion on your neural pathways, they were corrupted so badly. Do you think Data….I don't know. You think he was _trying _to kill you?"

Anna gave him a warning look and slowly removed her hands.

Lore frowned, "I hate that you would ask that question because it implies they're responsible. They aren't. If Data truly wanted to kill me he would have done it. Besides, anything shy of killing me is of little concern since I have you here. You're a remarkable engineer and I trust your ability to take care of me until I can rely on Data instead. And I have Crusher too, although she can't stand me."

"Oookay." Geordi said as he quickly turned away. Receiving compliments from Lore was just about as awkward as receiving his insults.

"Eh…maybe you should come with me right now." Anna said, grabbing his arm.

"Are we going to talk to Picard about going after Data?" He asked, "I don't want to wait. Maddox could be waiting for him not far from the Gamma side of the wormhole!"

"I don't think you should talk to the Captain right now." Anna muttered as she pulled on his arm. He stepped down from the examination table and looked down at his clothing. His shirt front was scorched and still covered in dusty debris from the explosion.

"I have to change my clothes." Lore thought aloud. "I'll go do that, which should provide enough time for the rest of my subroutines to come online so I don't say anything _embarrassing _to Picard." He laughed as he imagined the litany of things that could spill from his lips, though he couldn't imagine why he was laughing. This wasn't funny!

Anna was still pulling him toward the door of the science lab as she half cringed, half smiled. At the door, Lore turned and said, "I _would_ thank both of you for helping me, but I would only regret it later since neither of you like me very much. I don't like to exchange niceties with people who dislike me."

"I like you just fine. Stop being an ass." Geordi retorted.

"Good God…." Crusher grumbled, "Anna, get him out of here!"

Anna made sure he made it into the corridor and the door closed behind him before she shook her head, "I can't believe you just said that."

"I'll stop soon." He assured her, shrugging "And then I'll regret saying it and probably be in a bad mood and will avoid LaForge for a few days." He laughed suddenly, "You know what? I think my sense of inhibition is impaired too!"

Anna smirked, "If these were any other circumstances, I would take advantage of this just so that I could tease you later, but I think we need to focus."

"Focus. Right." Lore said seriously.

It took them several minutes to reach the turbo lift, and by the time Anna directed it toward her quarters, Lore was stewing irritably and thinking about how to get to the Gamma quadrant.

"Are you okay now?" Anna said once the turbo lift started moving.

He nodded crisply. His thoughts were now entirely back to normal. That had been a bizarre and—quite frankly—rattling experience. He was just lucky they hadn't asked him any questions, because he would have told the truth in anything! He shook the thought aside and focused. Data. B-4. Gamma Quadrant. They had to keep going.

"Geordi wasn't exaggerating." Anna said in a low voice. She ran her hand over her eyes wearily.

"About what?" Lore asked.

"About you, how close it was. Lore, we—." She swallowed hard and looked away, "We weren't sure if we were going to get you back. I thought that you were…."

Lore's jaw fell open a bit as he realized how remiss he had been. He had almost died, and yet he had not even thought of Anna's reaction. This might have been construed as modesty in some, but not Lore. With him it was just emotional stupidity. He put his hands on either side of her waist and welcomed her against him, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry." He muttered into her hair, "I guess I'm not very good at this, am I?"

"Good at what?" She said.

He frowned, "Being 'considerate'."

Anna laughed into the scorched, ruined front of his sweater, "That's not true. You're worried about Data and B-4, and _I'm _acting like a flustered little Mrs. Bennet. Sorry."

Lore tilted his head and smiled, "Mrs. Bennet? Who is that?"

Anna rolled her eyes, "A very irritating, emotional character who was constantly complaining about her 'nerves'. It doesn't matter. Were you serious about going to the Gamma Quadrant yourself?"

He stepped back, but still kept his hands on her waist, "Yes. I have to. I can't let anything happen to them. You know that, right?"

She met his eyes directly for a few seconds, then said, "If you think I'm going to dissuade you from going after them, you're wrong. There's no way I would do something like that, but I'm going with you, and I don't want to hear any 'it's too dangerous' crap."

Lore released her waist and held up his hands in mock surrender, "No 'crap', then. Understood. But…."

"What?" She said.

"I can do whatever I want, Anna. It's my vessel and I have no official place here, so it isn't as if Picard can keep me from leaving. He _can _order you not to go."

"He won't do that." She said, but her voice betrayed her uncertainty. "The Captain wants to find Data and B-4 just as much as we do."

Lore said nothing as they continued to walk. His gut reaction was to disagree, to suggest that Picard might not think going after Data was worth the potential loss of his career, but it was only because that age-old suspicion of humans was still with him. It was nothing like it had once been—not even close—but the instinct would always be there. He was learning to, as Anna put it, give people the benefit of the doubt. Judging from Picard and Data's history together, the man deserved more than just some doubt.

_He won't abandon Data. Not him. _

Lore changed his clothes quickly, then headed for the bridge.

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"I won't abandon Commander Data, Admiral." Picard said again. His voice was gravely as he leaned over his desk and faced the open computer screen.

"_I'm not suggesting you do, Captain." _Replied the Admiral, a burly man with graying brown hair and an easy sense of command. _"I'm just telling you that we can't have a Federation starship wandering around the Delta quadrant following this signal. The Dominion will get wind of it and demand to know what you're doing, and then what?"_

"With all due respect, Admiral, the Dominion does not own the Gamma quadrant." Picard said. He was trying to keep his demeanor under control and was, as always, doing a good job, "There are at least a dozen Alpha quadrant species who have set up a substantial presence there."

"_Yes, Captain, but we're talking about trade, exploration. The Dominion doesn't care if the Ferengi want to import tulaberry wine, or if the Vulcans want to spend two years observing a pulsar. They will care about the Federation flagship planet-hopping for no _apparent _reason." _While Picard opened his mouth to object, the Admiral raised his hand, _"That's why I've spoken to Starfleet security and we've…devised something. I'm sending the details to you now."_

Picard placed a pad on the uplink surface and took it up when the download was complete. He ran his eyes quickly over the document and nearly smiled.

"Allow me to say, Admiral," He began, "I'm impressed."

The Admiral smirked, _"Save your praise for if this fool plan works. It just goes to show you how much of a valued officer Data is. We don't want to lose him. Again. I think Starfleet owes him this much." _

_And more…._ Picard nodded, "Thank you, Sir. I will update you to our progress, you can be assured."

The Admiral said his goodbyes and Picard closed out the channel. He sat in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment before he began reading through the document carefully. It certainly was a bold plan, and he was glad to see that much leeway had been left to him, but the crux of it all—or what may prove to be the crux—was currently laid up in the science lab. He was rather certain that Lore had some impressive security measures on his vessel, and he doubted they would have the time to work through them if Lore didn't pull through—.

The door chimed.

"Come." He called. Lore strode into the room and Picard got his answer. "You made it. I was just about to call the science lab to check on their progress."

Lore frowned and shifted his eyes, "I'm fine. Are we going after Data or not?"

Picard had long ago learned to dismiss Lore's lack of manners. By this point, they were simply a character trait, and no longer some conscious attempt to be unpleasant. He also knew that Lore's shortness was tied directly to his anxiety, and he didn't need Deanna Troi around to tell him that.

"The Enterprise isn't, no." Picard replied.

"Then I'm going after him." Lore said roughly, "Will you give permission for Lt. Hall to go with me?"

Picard sighed heavily and raised his hands, "Slow down and listen. We _are _going after them and we have a plan. It involves using your ship and its cloaking device."

Lore hesitated, then slowly smiled, "Good. When do we leave?"

"Within the hour. We have some preparations to make first."


	6. Memory

**VI.**

"_Please, do not leave me here."_

"Miserable fools! Idiots!" The woman cursed as she forced open the rear hatch of her shuttle and stepped out into the biting wind. It was close to freezing and the wind was hard enough that she had to work to keep her footing. The landscape before her was a desolate collection of sharp rocks and brown scrub that could hardly be called plant life. It was little wonder that the only reason anyone inhabited the planet was to take advantage of the substantial dilithium deposits below the surface.

She turned and used her remote device to close and seal the shuttle hatch. Off in the distance, she could still see the smoking trail of the other vessel that had gone down with her. Better yet, the other vessel that had _caused _her to go down.

_Bumbling idiots! _She wrapped her coat, which was entirely unsuitable, around her and began heading toward the smoke at a jog. Her agility over the sharp rocks and scrub was impressive and she made good time. The wind was so fierce that the smoke from the other crash would dissipate quickly, and she didn't want to get lost. What she wanted was answers and remuneration. She was going to be late now. Late! She had never been late for an assignment in her entire life, and her Directors praised her for that, when they did issue praise, which was rarely.

She had only just completed repairs on one of the orbital surveillance satellites when the vessel appeared out of nowhere, on a collision course with the satellite she had _just _repaired. What would the Directors say if she allowed their satellite to be destroyed? What would they _do_? She couldn't fathom the answers, and so she had tried to use her shuttle's shields to redirect the out-of-control and unresponsive vessel. She had succeeded in saving the satellite, but not without damaging her own engines and going down! Now what was she going to do?

She did not recognize the vessel in question, but that was no surprise. The quadrant was filled with unidentified aliens these days. It was all the result of some far off wormhole that led to a distant part of the galaxy, though she didn't concern herself with such things. If the Directors wanted her to know about distant species, they would have given her the data packets on it. They had not, and so she didn't care.

Though, she _had _heard some of their music. They were on the outposts sometimes, and she couldn't help but overhear them, observe them, and the big-eared ones were always trying to sell something! A few even tried to speak to her, until they realized what she was, then they quickly—.

The craft came into full view just over the last rocky hillside, and her thoughts came sharply back into focus. Whoever was in there was going to be in a lot of trouble. She wasn't about to take the blame for this, not when her record was so perfect. She would make sure the Directors understood that it was this alien who was to blame, whoever he was. Though…there might not be anyone to blame. The vessel had been clearly out of control, and no one had responded to her hails. Perhaps the crew was already dead.

She bounded down the rocky hillside and into the smooth path the ship had sliced into the ground. It was titled slightly on its side, and the aft side hatch was buckled from an impact and already half open. She grabbed the sides of the still warm door and shoved. The hatch moved with a grinding of metal, and she was able to clear it enough for her to squeeze in. A sudden bang from the inside caused her to freeze in place.

Someone was moving around.

Suddenly out of the wind, everything became very quiet. Her hearing, like so many other things, was advanced beyond the norm, and she was listened for the sounds again. There, again, was the scrape of metal, the shuffling of feet. She heard no groaning or general cries of distress. Feeling for the weapon at her side, she resisted the urge to pull it out. Combat was a last resort. It was not her place to engage in combat. That role had been reserved for others, as the Directors often reminded her. People had to stick to their roles.

"Who's there!" She called into the dimness. She moved a few more steps inside, holding the wall to make up for the tilted floor. A few more feet and she would be able to look around the corner into the main space.

"I am here." Replied a male voice. It made her freeze in place again. There was no tension or pain in the voice, at least none she could detect. Unsure of what else to do, she stepped out quickly and held her hands in front of her, ready.

Standing near the cracked front windows was a man with snow white skin and dark hair. She peered closely to examine him for species features, but she could see none she recognized. He was standing upright, apparently unharmed, but was looking all around in a slow fashion, as if confused. He stood slightly in profile, making it difficult for her to get a look at all of him. Maybe he was hurt. Maybe he was in shock.

"You!" She belted accusingly, "You made me crash! You almost destroyed a satellite!"

He looked at her directly, and a shift in the clouds outside finally allowed her to see that his eyes were gold in color. "I…I am sorry?"

_Was that a question?_ She grinded her teeth angrily, "My plasma injector is beyond repair and I have somewhere I _must _be! Do you have any idea what you've done? Look!" She pulled back the high bundled collar of her coat and indicated the thick chocker necklace around her neck. A tiny emblem of some kind, green on black surrounded in gold, was etched into the surface of the thick chocker.

The man stared without recognition and tilted his head slightly, "Look at…what? Your necklace?"

"Necklace!" She cried. Where was this fool from, that he didn't recognize the implications of that collar, of _that _emblem? He was clearly in some kind of shock still. She stepped forward, fumbling over an upturned chair. "I'm not taking the blame for this accident. I'll have to tell my Directors about you, and then we'll see how they want to deal with—Oh!"

She stopped in her tracks, which was difficult since she was currently half straddling a pile of storage containers. The man had turned slightly, finally giving her a view of his left arm. His forearm and part of his hand had been badly burnt, but she did not see blood or charred flesh. What she saw made her blink several times; flickering lights, the glint of metal, the burnt remains of isolinear wiring.

"You're an android of some kind!" She declared. She lifted her leg to scale the storage containers, but caught her boot and went tumbling forward, which was a rarity for someone with her heightened balance.

The man—android—reached out a hand and caught her across the chest before she could fall head first onto the floor. He lifted her up until she was righted, then released her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, clearly concerned.

"Yes, fine!" She said, still stunned, "Who are you?"

The man frowned suddenly, and it was a deep, troubled frown. He shook his head several times and finally uttered, "I…I do not know. I cannot remember."

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Data watched the woman closely as she stepped back behind the pile of upturned storage containers. She was still staring at him with wide eyes, though some of her initial anger had faded. Apparently, he had caused this woman some difficulty, though he had no idea how or when.

"You don't know who you are?" She said incredulously, "Well, where are you from? Who made you?"

_Who made me? Someone 'made' me? _

Once again, he ran his eyes over his surroundings; the walls, the deck, the computer consoles around him, and felt what could only be described as utter confusion. It was not enough that he didn't know how he had gotten to this planet or how he was in this vessel, but he could not understand why or how he _knew _what a planet was, or how he _knew _he was in a vessel. But, somehow he did. He knew many things, and yet...had no idea how he knew them. He could not remember ever having seen a console before, nor ever having been inside a vessel.

He shook his head again, "I do not know. I cannot remember…anything. I do not know how I came to be here."

"Do you remember the crash? Do you remember the near collision in orbit?" She pressed. Her brow had knitted up into something like concern, though she still sounded angry.

Data thought for a moment. His very first memory, or so he thought, was the sight of a dull grey planet. Then, he had been descending toward the planet.

"No." He replied, "I remember entering the atmosphere. I…I could not do anything about it. I was not in control of myself."

"Not in control?" She narrowed her eyes, "What does that mean?"

"I could not move my limbs."

"Oh." She said, relaxing slightly. "Well, you must be damaged somehow. Does your hand…hurt?"

Data lifted his damaged hand and examined its state. He was suddenly alarmed, "I do not feel pain, but the damage appears significant. I cannot move my fingers." He lifted his eyes to the woman again. Perhaps she would help him. He did not think he could fix his hand by himself. "Will you help me?"

"Help you?" She frowned and took another step back, "I'm stranded here because of you. Unless I can find a way to repair my plasma injector, I'll have to call for assistance."

Data stared at her for a moment. He was sorry he was the cause of her predicament, but he was not sure he understood the rest of her dilemma. "Is calling for assistance an unfavorable option?"

"Yes!" She scoffed, as if he should know better, "My Directors aren't in the habit of wasting resources. I'll be punished!"

"Why would you be punished for something that is not your fault?" Data asked. He was genuinely curious, and felt urged to latch onto the subject. It was better than thinking of how he had nothing else to think of, of how his mind was so painfully blank. It made him feel certain that he _should _remember things. Yes, he must have many things that he _should _remember, otherwise he would not feel so anxious about everything.

The woman had turned away from him and headed toward the back of the vessel. She was opening wall panels and examining the workings inside, clearly searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Data asked. When she did not reply, he moved toward her and said, "I may be able to help you."

"How is that? You don't even know your name." She replied. She opened panel after panel, obviously failing to find what she was after. Finally she turned on him and demanded, "Where is your plasma injector access?"

"I am not familiar with this vessel." He replied. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, "I may be able to access the ship's computer and locate it." He turned and set about bringing one of the consoles back online.

"Wait right there!" She said, "You don't know your name or how you got here, but you know how to operate that console? You know how to search the systems?"

Data hesitated, then finally shrugged, "It would appear so. My knowledge does not seem impaired."

"But how does that—. It doesn't matter. Locate the plasma injector. If it's compatible with my systems, I'm taking it."

Data stopped what he was doing and turned around. Fear suddenly gripped him. "I will not be able to make this vessel function without a plasma injector. I will be stranded here."

"Where would you go, since you can't even remember where you came from?" She muttered.

Data stepped away from the console and watched her. He could not remember anything. He could not remember a single person, a single face…except hers. This woman, for all intents and purposes, was the only other person he knew, and she was planning to leave.

"I do not wish to remain here alone." He said, staring at her.

The woman became suddenly alarmed and reached under the hem of her coat. She removed a weapon and pointed it at him. "I _am _taking the plasma injector. Don't try to stop me."

"I will not." Data insisted, though he regarded the weapon with some disappointment now. The only person he knew in the world was pointing a disruptor at him.

_I know what a disruptor is?_

"I will assist you, if you are willing to take me with you."

The woman frowned, more confused than angry, "Why would you want to go with me? You don't know me, you have no idea where I'm going."

He shook his head, "You are the _only_ person I know, and where you are going doesn't matter."

She considered him for nearly a minute before she appeared to decide on something. She lowered the weapon slowly. "You…you must belong somewhere. An android like you is clearly very advanced. I wouldn't be surprised if someone is looking for you."

Somehow, Data found this suggestion soothing. He wondered who would be looking for him. Perhaps the people who had created him? That would make sense. "Will you help me find these people? The people who may be looking for me?"

The woman hesitated for just a moment, then sighed and said, "Maybe. _Maybe._ Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if my Directors know all about you. A creation as advanced as you would be very unlikely to have escaped _their _notice." She pressed her knuckled to her lips and thought. "In fact, the Directors may have built you!"

Once again, Data felt an immense wave of relief, while he had not even known he was upset. He turned back to the console and made short work of the system. He appeared to have no difficulty reading the language, navigating the databases. It was all familiar enough to be ingrained knowledge, and yet he could not recall any specific incidence of having done any of it before. Then again, he could not remember learning to speak, yet he could clearly do that as well.

"The plasma injector is here." He said as he stepped past her and opened a panel in the floor. "I will remove it for you."

"_I _will remove it." She snapped, lifting the weapon again. "I don't trust you. Step back."

Data frowned, but did as she demanded. It was not because he was afraid, for his proximity would have made disarming her quite easy. "There is no need to threaten me. I have no intention of hurting you."

She frowned and continued to point the weapon. Her hold was steady and her aim straight, but her brow was furrowed in a way that broadcasted her unease. It was clear that she was not accustomed to making such threats.

Data took another step back, his expression earnest, "Please lower your weapon. I have no wish to keep you stranded here, and I have no wish to die."

This seemed to startle the woman somewhat, for her lips parted and she gasped as her weapon, finally, lowered. "You…you don't want to _die_?"

Data returned her puzzled look, and not without a hint of sarcasm. What was so amazing about that statement? Did any living creature _wish _to die? "No." He finally said, "I do not. You are threatening me with an energy weapon. I am _not _impervious."

She lowered her weapon further, still frowning at him, "I just didn't expect to hear that from a machine. Self aware holograms don't refer to themselves that way."

"I am not a hologram." Data replied. He did not mean to sound defensive, but it certainly came out that way. A hologram was a preprogrammed construct with a limited range of interaction. He was _not _that.

"Well, I…." The woman hesitated, as if she was embarrassed, then just as quickly changed her demeanor. As if forcing on some artificial mask, she lifted her chin and said haughtily, "You may be more advanced than a hologram, but you were clearly built for a purpose. My Directors will know what to do. Help me remove this."

Data took a step toward the open grate, then stopped. He glanced at her weapon, "You trust me now?"

"I don't _trust_ anyone." She countered, her voice still unnaturally cold, "But you clearly want to get out of here too, so…so we have a mutual goal. That's all."

Data raised a curious, almost skeptical brow at her unfriendly words, but said nothing more as he began removing the plasma injector from its housing. In addition to studying the woman further, he was too busy studying his own reactions to her and everything else. Why was he skeptical of her manner? Why did he defend his worth or grow so irritated at being compared to a hologram? It was apparent—and he decided not to question this further—that his lack of a specific personal memory did not mean that his personality was incapacitated. Perhaps he had been compared to a hologram in the past? Perhaps he had once suffered damage from an energy weapon?

He had no idea.

"You look very familiar." He said suddenly, looking up from the half extracted plasma coil.

The woman narrowed her eyes and gave him a once over, as if trying to determine his honesty. "That's absurd." She said, "I would certainly remember you if we had ever met."

No doubt she was right, yet Data could not help the impression that her person was very familiar. She had arched brows and deep brown eyes the color of bronze. Her dark, mahogany brown hair was very long and hung down her back in layered waves from a single clip she had used to pull it back. But those things were not what gave him the familiar impression. It was her curved, pointed ears.

He had seen them before. He knew it, and yet he could remember no specific incidence of it.

"What species are you?" He asked.

She opened her mouth, but suddenly snapped it shut. She smiled, almost triumphantly. "Well, you knew how to operate the console, and you appear to know how to handle this plasma coil. Why don't you know what species I am?"

He had no answer. He shook his head.

"Well, you _wouldn't _know what species I am because I have no species." She took it upon herself to unfasten the last few connections and lifted the plasma coil like a heavy prize.

"That statement makes no sense." Data replied.

"Of course it does." She stood and lifted the coil with a grunt, "_I _am unique."

"Unique?" He asked.

"I'm not here to talk. Let's go. I have a schedule to keep." She headed toward the door with the plasma coil cradled in both hands. It was clear that she was having some trouble negotiated the tilted floor while carrying the clumsy weight.

Data reached out and took the coil by one of the fastening struts, pulling it away from her with one hand.

"Hey!" She objected, "Give me that!"

"You are clearly having trouble carrying it." He replied, "There is no need to cause yourself discomfort."

"I have advanced strength _and _coordination, among other things. I don't need your help!" She wrapped her arms around the coil and tugged it back into her grasp.

Data did not resist and yielded the item back to her with a mild disappointment. It was reflexive, but also logical. He was going to be relying on this person, at least for some foreseeable amount of time. It would only make sense that he would wish to demonstrate his usefulness and be helpful.

He followed her out into the harsh wind and easily kept pace with her as she tried to make quick time over the rocky terrain. It was clear that she had good balance and was accustomed to moving quickly. In fact, if Data was not mistaken, she appeared to be struggling to move faster, especially when she saw that he was keeping by her side.

"Slow down! What's wrong with you?" She said irritably, though her voice was washed out in the chaotic wind.

Data frowned back, "I am keeping pace with you."

"No you're not! You're trying to get ahead of me!" She huffed. Data slowed, and she appeared to take the opportunity get ahead by leaping from one rocking outcropping to another, where she promptly lost her balance with the top heavy coil and reeled backward.

Data caught her from behind and, without asking permission, took the coil from her grasp.

"I told you already! Give me that!" She bellowed. Despite her diminutive frame, for the top of her head only just met Data's chin, she wielded an angry fist and punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!" She hugged her hand against her chest and danced in place with a contorted expression of pain.

"I will not give this back to you." Data said firmly, though he did regard her pained hand with sympathy, "I cannot risk it being damaged if you drop it."

"You…you!" She fumbled with the hem of her coat again, no doubt reaching for her disruptor, but Data very purposely raised the plasma coil in front of him.

"I guarantee that I will block any shot you fire at me with this, and then you will be stranded here." He warned.

"I knew it! I knew I couldn't trust you! I should have just left you back there and taken it. Or…or I should have shot you!" She cried, her ivory face peeking with color despite the frigid air.

Data lowered the plasma coil, and his shoulder visibly slumped with disappointment. _Why is she so combative? _He had done nothing to warrant such distrust, although he also had to admit that he had done nothing to warrant _trust _either. Perhaps trust was not her default reaction to strangers. If that was the case….

He set the plasma coil on the ground and took several steps back. He looked at it, then her, and back again. Fear and uncertainty were beginning to creep over him again, for what if she did decide to leave him there? How long would he have to wait for those looking for him? Better yet, how could he be certain that anyone was looking for him?

The woman stepped forward, cautiously, and scooped the coil up into her arms, once again grunting under the effort. Attempting to carry the weight while also holding her disruptor was proving more difficult than she had thought, and she backed away from him slowly, trying to glance at the ground behind him while keeping an eye on him.

It was almost comical…and Data stifled a laugh.

"What are you smiling at? Did—did you do something to the coil?" She demanded, "Answer me, you!"

Data raised his hands, "I did nothing to the plasma coil. I was merely laughing at…your caution."

"What?"

"You have no reason to distrust me. I gave you the plasma coil when I did not have to. Did that not demonstrate my sincerity?" Data said. His brow was knitted in an expression of genuine concern, for now he was beginning to suspect that he had made a mistake. She would leave him there, and he would be alone for…who knew how long?

_Why am I so afraid to be alone? _The thought struck him suddenly, and it was not an idle question. There really was no logical reason for him to object to her leaving. The planet was inhospitable, but that meant nothing to him. There was no place he needed to go, for he _knew _of no place at all. He did not even know where he was! Still, none of these very logical considerations changed the fact that the idea of remaining their alone was entirely unappealing. Having nothing else to go on, he chose to follow his emotions.

"Please, do not leave me here." He said, raising his voice so that it would carry over the wind, "I mean you no harm, and I can assist you with adapting the coil to your vessel's systems."

He could see that her resolve wavered. It was a momentary twitch of her upswept brow, knitted together as if his words were causing her some kind of pain. She shifted her weight and said, defiantly, "What's in it for me? My vessel has limited resources. It isn't designed to carry two."

Data looked down at his own body, a motion that was intended to make his point, "I am an android. I require no resources. I will not even breathe, if that is required."

The woman opened her mouth as if to object further, but she faltered, apparently at a loss. Finally, she took a cautious step forward and said, "You…you won't try anything?"

Data tilted his head curiously, "If by 'anything', you mean harming you or taking control of your vessel, then no. I will not try anything." Thinking of her previous question, he added, "As for what is in it for you, you indicated that your 'Directors' may have been the people who constructed me. If they are searching for me, would they not be pleased that you delivered me? Would that not be to your benefit?"

So much of her defensive posture dropped at once, that for a moment Data thought she had taken ill. Instead, her lips turned up into a delighted grin, which she promptly tried to subdue.

"That, um…would certainly make it worth my trouble." She said, once again putting on her faux abrasive exterior. "You can come with me then. Alright. And…and take this! If you were designed with such superior strength, than clearly you were intended to perform labor."

Data frowned somewhat at this, but decided to count his blessings rather than complain. It was after he took the coil from her and began following her once again across the rough terrain that a thought suddenly occurred to him. _Counting blessings….What a strange phrase. _Why would he conjure something so…euphemistic? Perhaps he had heard it before. Perhaps it was a memory.

_Perhaps I will remember other things too. _

He allowed the thought to sooth him as he followed the alien woman across the alien landscape. It was after they had scaled a final hill and her small craft was in view that Data asked one of the many questions that he had conjured up in the last several minutes.

"What is your name?" He asked.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as she removed a remote device from her coat pocket and began entered a code, "Lin. L'Nera."

Data smiled hopefully, "Is Lin a diminutive of L'Nera? Do your friends call you Lin?"

"I don't have friends." She muttered. Had it not been for his advanced hearing, the wind would have drowned her words. The rear hatch of the craft opened and she climbed up the short set of steps. She looked over her shoulder, for he was still standing some distance away with the coil. "Are you coming?"

"Yes." He lifted the coil and sep it on the deck inside before he climbed up the steps and joined her. As the hatch began to close, finally cutting away the harsh whistle of the wind, Data asked another question, "Your 'Directors' that you mentioned; who are they? Are they like you?"

She shook her head quickly, "Oh, no. Not like me. I'm advanced, certainly, but not like my Directors. I wasn't meant to be their equal."

"I see." Data said, though her response only elicited an entirely new series of questions in his mind. Why was she not their 'equal'? What did that mean? Instead, he stuck to his original question. "And who are they? Where are they from?"

She shook her head slowly, and gave him a look that was shockingly similar to sympathy, though his experience with her thus far kept from him from seeing it as genuine. She said, "You truly have lost your memory, haven't you? My Directors are the administrators and commanders of the most powerful alliance in the galaxy, going back more than ten thousand years. They were genetically designed for their purpose, like I was designed for mine. You were probably designed with a purpose too, and once I deliver you to their custody and they restore your memory, you'll know it again. Don't worry."

Data could not help but smile then, for that simple direction, 'don't worry', was the first kind thing she had said to him. Well…kind enough. As she opened a floor panel behind the pilot's chair and began removing the charred and cracked remains of her plasma injector, Data brought over the replacement and knelt across from her.

"You said your Directors are part of a powerful alliance. Does it have a name?" He asked. Seeing her strange look, he said, "It may help me to remember. I believe I have already remembered something. You looked familiar to me, which is also a kind of memory."

She nodded, understanding his meaning, and said, "Of course. My Directors are the Vorta. They serve the Dominion. _I _serve the Dominion."

"Dominion." Data repeated. After a moment he shook his head. The word did not garner any recognition from him. None at all.


	7. Big Brother

**VII**.

"_Ah, but what do we have here?"_

Flying blind. That was the phrase they used in Starfleet Intelligence when it wasn't possible to verify that an operation was going according to plan. Schemes were set into motion, traps were set, and sometimes you just had to sit back and wait to see if the intended result happened. It was not the preferred method of doing things, but Bruce Maddox had no other choice. He had no way of knowing if the activation of B-4's homing device had been successful or not.

"And when are we to expect your android?"

Maddox's shoulders hunched up around his ears, and he visibly shuddered. That calm, artificially pleasant voice was anything but soothing. He knew it covered up so much.

"I told you before. I have no way to be certain. It all depends on whether or not he was able to escape."

The man stepped to the other side of the desk at which Maddox currently sat, and held his hands casually behind his back. Everything about the man was calm, casual, and deceptively pleasant, but Maddox guessed he could expect that. He had never met any of the Weyouns himself, but he had read enough. Apparently, every cloned addition had the same personality type.

"Are you suggesting that there is a possibility he may not have escaped? That we have engaged in this…mmm…alliance for nothing?"

Maddox shuddered again, but this time did not show it. He had been beside himself with shock when, after a very stressful and tenuous introduction to the Dominion, he had been presented with Weyoun 9 as his contact. As far as Starfleet was aware, the Weyouns were no more, the last having been killed on Cardassia years ago. Apparently, the Dominion had improved its ability to keep secrets.

"Don't underestimate their resourcefulness." Maddox said shortly, "Also, Data is in there too. That only increases the likelihood that he'll succeed."

"I see." Weyoun turned around and approached the nearby table. He examined its contents passively, like a guest at an art gallery, "Is this Lore not also resourceful? He very well may have stopped your android from reaching the wormhole."

Maddox clenched his teeth. He had already discussed all of this with him. All of the flaws in the plan, all the potential obstacles had been discussed at length. "Yes. I know. But B-4 was not a prisoner. It's unlikely they were watching him every moment."

"I don't care for uncertainty." Weyoun mused, "More importantly, the Founders don't care for it."

"They'll have to tolerate a little uncertainty for the time being." Maddox replied, "I don't have the ability to track the signal because I don't know B-4's transmitter frequency. We'll simply have to wait and see if he shows up at the specified coordinates."

Weyoun drew a breath and humming in a kind of sing-song, absent minded way. It was so pleasant and lazy, and yet Maddox had been there long enough to know that it was anything but. It was the precursor to the threat.

"I do hope you're right, Doctor." Weyoun replied, "We have expended many resources to help you with your endeavor. It would be a shame if it was all for nothing."

"You will be gaining an invaluable advantage over the Federation." Maddox said through clenched teeth, "It is more than worth it."

"Yes." Weyoun sighed. He turned back to the table and examined the body that was laid out upon it. He frowned slightly and narrowed his violet eyes, "I am curious. Why did you not make it look...well, like you?"

Maddox forced his eyes away from the screen before him. He had asked himself that question, in fact, and the answer was pretty clear, "I have no desire to have someone who looks exactly like me walking around."

"Ah." Weyoun produced a little laugh, "Yes, you humans do have an obsession with your 'uniqueness', don't you? As you know, all Vorta are clones. It means nothing to me."

_Good for you. _Maddox sneered at the man's back.

"But," Weyoun continued, "How did you decide on its appearance? Is it a facsimile of someone you know?"

Maddox huffed in irritation, for he knew that Weyoun cared nothing for these questions or their answers. Idle curiosity was not a feature of the Vorta. Instead, he was playing psychological games.

"I ordered the computer to compile two-hundred thousand unique human males, then chose one at random. That's all."

"Mmm…." Weyoun folded his hands behind his back and continue to examine the lifeless form. "Why? Would it not be easier to utilize B-4's android body? You are going to wipe his memory banks, after all. What do humans say? Blank slate?"

_Is your memory faulty! _Maddox knew it was not. Asking the same questions over and over again, even questions that seemed benign, was a classic method of psychological control, and also a means by which to see if the respondent was trustworthy. Maddox's replies were practically rote by now.

"You know why. Starfleet will never stop looking for Data or B-4. It would be foolish to maintain his appearance. Plus, I've made substantial alterations to the prototype."

Weyoun nodded, then said, "I have ordered several scout ships to the wormhole to look out for your android. I will not tolerate this blind waiting."

_Damnit! _"What if Starfleet follows him? We can't have them think that the Dominion has anything to do with this. If they see your ships just waiting—."

"What? This is the Gamma Quadrant, Doctor. _Our _domain. I would guess that Starfleet would be surprised if we were _not _examining vessels from the Alpha Quadrant. They will think nothing of it."

Maddox drew a long breath and ran his hands over his face. He knew he looked terrible. He felt terrible. How long had it been since he had slept through the night? Despite all that had happened, he had never imagined that he would be where he was. The Dominion. The damn Dominion! But what else could he do? Starfleet, the Federation, had clearly lost its way. Their obsession with ethics—or better yet the _façade _of ethics—was going to cost them in the long run anyway. The idea that they would choose a single person, a machine no less, over the future advancement and security of the Alpha quadrant…!

Well, they would certainly see their mistake in time.

"He may very well run in obstacles on this side of the wormhole too." Maddox added, "The Dominion, after all, doesn't control the entire Gamma quadrant."

Weyoun smiled icily, for no doubt he took the comment as an insult. Rather than say anything, he walked back to the table and looked over the android that lay there. Just as before, his demeanor was a perfect mask of bored congeniality. Then suddenly, he reached out one pale hand and grabbed the android by the chin. He jerked the head back and forth, getting a good look at each side of its face while moving it so roughly that a few of the golden blonde locks shifted.

Maddox made an angry sound in the back of his throat as he stood. _Get away from that, you miserable…._

"You should have made it in the likeness of a Vorta." Weyoun said with a sigh, "But, I suppose the others can be, unless the Founders desire something else. I trust that won't be a problem?" Weyoun released the android's face with a final, dismissive jerk.

Maddox could feel the muscles in his jaw beginning to ache. "No." He said through clenched teeth, "No problem at all."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The Jem'Hadar scout ship was under strict orders to remain hidden. It was the kind of assignment the Jem'Hadar, who were genetically engineered for combat and action, absolutely despised. But, they had also been engineered to obey orders and never complain, and so the ship remained in place for months at a time, collecting data and watching the comings and goings of every vessel that came through the wormhole. The past several days had seen a slight reduction in traffic, owing to some manipulation on the Alpha quadrant side. No doubt the Starfleet personnel at Deep Space Nine had been using their disruption field again. For what reason, the Jem'Hadar First did not know and did not care. It was not his place to analyze.

"Ah, but what do we have here?" Said the Vorta Commander, a female with the same stark black hair and violet eyes that all Vorta possessed. She lifted her chin and watched as a small craft, easily identified as a Starfleet shuttle, exited the wormhole. It was immediately followed by the sleek, impressive hulk of the _USS Enterprise-E. _

Everyone knew the _Enterprise. _

The Vorta smiled as she cocked her head and watched the scene before them, which was actually taking place several light years away. Their surveillance vessel was outfitted with the most state of the art imaging technology that had a maximum range of more than five light years. It was the best possible way to watch unobserved.

The Starfleet shuttle was clearly damaged, judging from the plasma cloud trailing behind it. The shuttle was wildly changing direction in a kind of evasive maneuver. Without warning, the _Enterprise _activated a tractor beam and attempted to grab the smaller craft. The shuttle fired two phaser blasts in response and managed to evade the tractor beam's grasp. The _Enterprise_, however, was not to be deterred, and continued its pursuit.

"Communications." The Vorta woman commanded. The order required no further explanation as one of the Jem'Hadar moved to comply. The silent bridge was suddenly pierced with the crackle of audio.

"…_shields and allow us to transport you at once! You're only prolonging this." _

There was no immediate response from the occupant—or occupants—of the shuttle as it continued to weave and dip away from the _Enterprise_. On their current trajectory, the two vessels were going to enter a heavily traffic system with two occupied planets. The area was rife with traders and merchants preparing shipments to and from the Alpha quadrant.

The Vorta woman continued to watch.

"_Just leave me alone! I didn't do it!" _A man barked over the comm.

"_If that's true, you have no reason to run." _A male voice from the _Enterprise _replied, _"Come to a stop immediately." _

"_No! No one believes me!" _Was the frantic reply, _"I warned you!" _

The little shuttle suddenly let loose a wild volley of phaser blasts, all aimed precisely a particular spot on the underside of the port warp nacelle strut. The nacelle dimmed and flashed several times, causing the _Enterprise _to slow substantially. The shuttle continued on, pulling out of range.

The Vorta woman hummed lightly. This was quite an interesting development. The Federation flag ship in pursuit of some criminal, so it seemed.

"Projected course?" She demanded.

"The shuttle is on a course for the fourth planet. The _Enterprise _is following, at reduced speed." The Jem'Hadar First replied.

"Continue to track their movements and record. I want all particulars transmitted to central in fifteen minute increments."

"Understood." The First said.

Once again, the bridge descended into silence as they waited and watched.


	8. The Search Begins

**VIII.**

"_Relax."_

"Are you sure they can't detect us?" Picard asked

"I'm sure." Lore replied.

"The Dominion surpasses Starfleet in several areas of technology. What do you know of their cloaking capabilities?" Worf said. He was facing the view screen with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Lore sighed, "They have no cloaking technology, and even if they did, it doesn't matter. They can't see us. They _won't _see us. Relax."

Lore came down from the control platform at the rear of the bridge and circled to the front of it. He removed a panel from the low wall there and moved some isolinear chips inside. With that finished, he moved back to the control platform, where Anna was already conducting scans for B-4's homing beacon.

"How long can they keep this up?" Crusher asked as she too watched the events taking place on the view screen. The little shuttle had just fired the volley that caused the _Enterprise _to experience so-called engine trouble, though it was all a ruse.

"For as long as it takes." Picard mused, "Lt. Morris did a few stints with Starfleet special operations. He's an expert at evasion."

"Well let's hope so." Crusher said. "I haven't heard much about merchant planets this side of the wormhole, but I have heard they're not the friendliest places. If the Dominion doesn't get involved, he'll just be able to hide out until Madden concocts some 'capture' scenario."

Worf snorted. He knew Lt. Morris, for the man was one of his best security officers, "Lt. Morris will have no trouble looking after himself. " He assured her.

Picard turned away from the view screen finally and looked back at the control platform. This was only the second time Picard had ever set foot inside Lore's vessel, and the impression was no less surprising. It just wasn't what he expected. It looked like the inside of someone's house, albeit a strange house. There was a dark brown sofa off to the side of the bridge with an open book laid on it, along with some discarded scarf. A sofa! And was that a pair of Lt. Hall's shoes under that console?

For several minutes, Picard, Worf, Crusher, and Ensign Blake watched Lore and Anna work, like spectators viewing a demonstration. It grew awkward very quickly, for Picard, and certainly the others, were not accustomed to being bystanders.

"If we're unable to locate a solid signal, we'll head toward the nearest habitable planet." Picard said, "Maddox may have decided to wait for him there and—."

"We'll find the signal, and Maddox wouldn't wait for him on a planet's surface." Lore said shortly, his eyes squarely focused on the console in front of him.

"How can you be sure?" Picard said.

"Because he would have wanted to get away as quickly as possible. He would assume we followed B-4." Lore said. His console beeped at him and he frowned, "I need to reroute power to the forward sensors. Blake. The forward sensor power unit is on the lower deck, port section three."

Blake moved, then hesitated. He did an awkward little dance as he glanced at Picard, then Lore, then back again. Picard frowned, but gave Blake an affirmative nod. Despite Blake's outward appearance of youth and inexperience, Picard knew from his record that he had security training and had in fact been slated for Starfleet Intelligence before he changed his major at the Academy. That was why Picard had chosen him to come along. Of course, the fact that Blake was one of the few members of the crew besides Lt. Hall whom Lore actually seemed to like….

He faced the screen again and watched as the little shuttle accelerated to warp and left the _Enterprise _behind.

The plan had been remarkably simple, and mostly because Starfleet Command was still adamant that the _Enterprise _could have nothing to do with the search for Data and B-4. Instead, the _Enterprise_ provided the cover for Lore's ship to make it through the wormhole undetected. No doubt the sight of the wormhole opening, and no ship being visible, would have immediately alerted the Dominion to a cloaked vessel. While Lore had assured them that his cloaking technology was impenetrable, Picard had seen no reason to take the unnecessary risk. The false pursuit of Lt. Morris would at least provide a cover store for why the _Enterprise _had entered the Gamma quadrant. In the mean time, Picard needed to get up to speed on the various systems on board, since there had hardly been any time for it before their departure.

"Lore, I would like a full breakdown of your weapons capabilities, since I will _assume _you never fully disabled them, despite orders to do so." Picard began, "Also, I need you to remove any access blocks you might have. The last thing we need is the computer denying access during an emergency."

Lore shot a quick glance at Picard. His lips shifted as if he was trying to hold back a smile. Or a laugh. "Yeah, sure, Picard." He said. Now it was clear he found something amusing.

Picard frowned, "Is there something else?"

Lore finished what he was doing and looked up. He braced his arms casually over the console, "You do realize, Captain, that you're not the Captain here, right?"

Worf released an angry kind of snort and turned away. Picard leveled his eyes at Lore.

"I beg your pardon?" Picard said.

"No begging necessary, Captain." Lore replied, shrugging, "I just thought you should know that I have no intention of playing your subordinate on this mission. This is my ship, and we're looking for _my _brothers."

_Oh, for crying out loud…._ "Lore, if you believe for a second that I am going to take orders from you—."

"Phsst!" Lore scoffed, making a sound not unlike a raspberry, "Orders? Relax, Picard. I'm about as interested in giving orders as I am in taking them. Consider this a casual affair."

"Lore?" Anna said, looking back over her shoulder. She had a look on her face like mildly amused concern. Picard sighed irritably as he watched Lore go to Anna and lean in to converse with her. If he thought this discussion was over, he was grossly mistaken! Picard stepped forward, ready to say as much, when Lore suddenly left Anna's side and faced Picard.

"Of course, you'll be in command during any away missions." Lore said with a shrug, "It makes sense."

Picard shot Anna a quick glance, and could see that she was smiling over her console screen. He was going to have to remember Lt. Hall's diplomatic skills for the future. Anyone who could so easily negotiate with Lore was a valuable asset.

"I have it!" Anna announced. She stood and leaned over the console, "The residuals are very faint but I detect them at least two light years out."

"I'm setting a course." Lore said as he moved quickly to his console. After pressing several keys, he hesitated. He looked at Picard, "I'm not coming back without them, not unless I know without a doubt that it's too late. No time limits."

Picard lifted his chin, and for once had no objections. He nodded, "No time limits."

Lore finished setting the course and engaged, leaving the _Enterprise _and the only route to the Alpha quadrant behind.

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"Lore, wait!" Picard shouted, but his voice died in the harsh, cold wind that suddenly surrounded them. While the others had taken a moment after transport to absorb the shock of the new place, Lore had already set to running over the jagged terrain.

"Damnit!" Picard muttered as he and Worf began to run after him. They had detected the Bajoran vessel which Data had taken from Deep Space Nine as soon as they entered orbit. The fact that they had been unable to read Data—B-4's—presence on the surface had done nothing to deter Lore from transporting down. The vessel had not been destroyed.

The terrain was rugged and nasty, just the kind of thing designed to break someone's ankle in a careless step. By the time Picard and Worf reached the tilting vessel, Lore was nowhere to be seen.

"Inside, Captain!" Worf bellowed over the wind. He had his phaser in hand, just in case, as they reached the side of the ship and ambled through the broken hatchway.

Lore was standing at the head of the control area, staring at the floor. His face was twisted into a look of rage and misery.

"He's not here." Lore said, his voice strained, "He's gone."

Picard looked over the wreck which they stood in. The front view port had been broken out during the crash and the inside of the vessel was already gaining a find layer of grey dirt from outside. There were also leaves and other bits of debris on the floor. Despite the whipping wind outside, it was too much to have occurred very recently. He was guessing twenty hours, perhaps a full day. And….

"Step back. Don't move around." He ordered.

Lore looked up, "What?"

"There are muddy footprints here, and there. Look." Picard pointed at the tilted, carpeted floor near Lore's feet. He had already disturbed many of them with his own muddy boots, but most of them were still clear.

Lore bent down to examine them, "Those are too small to be Maddox."

"It is likely he has helpers." Worf said, "There are more than enough questionable individuals here who could be paid to assist with anything."

Lore nodded, but was still frowning. Then, quite unconsciously, he said, "These footprints are smaller than Anna's. Why would…." He trailed off, shaking his head. "This could have nothing to do with Data and B-4. Someone took the plasma injector out of the floor. This could have just been a scavenger who came after they were already gone."

Picard shook his head and pushed over one of the storage containers with his foot, "I doubt that. Look at all this equipment. Someone desperate enough to come down here and risk stealing someone else's property would be unlikely to have left all of these other things behind. They would have stripped his vessel bare. Something else…. Lore, see if you can access the ship's computer and bring up the final activity logs. We can at least figure out how he crashed."

"There are no signs of weapon's damage on the exterior." Worf noted.

Lore leaned over one of the consoles and set to work. After using the power cell from a tricorder to force the thing into operation, he was able to bring up the screen and gain entry. After a few moments, he paused and shook his head at the console.

"What? What is it?" Picard demanded.

"The last command issued to the computer was a engineering schematic search." He looked up, "A request to locate the ship's plasma injector."

Picard and Worf looked at the open floor panel between them, the space where the missing plasma injector would have been.

"So, someone did steal it, probably after the fact. Someone unfamiliar with Bajoran vessels would have consulted the computer rather than tear the ship apart looking for it."

"Someone? No, B-4 did it." Lore said flatly.

"How do you know?" Picard asked.

Lore stood back and waved his hand at the console, "The computer filed the keystrokes and their exact time entry. The request was entered at a rate of more than twelve hundred keystrokes a minute. It was him. He couldn't have been anyone else."

"Why would Commander Data take the plasma injector from this vessel?" Worf asked, shaking his head. His jaw was tensed angrily. "I do not like this. Something else has happened."

"Whatever happened here, I have a suspicion that Maddox wasn't part of it." Picard replied, "A crash, a missing piece of equipment…. Maddox would have had to reason to force Data's vessel down, not if he had control of him. Data would have just presented himself, the same way you both did when Dr. Soong used the homing device."

Lore turned and angrily pushed one of the storage containers aside. He about to give another one a choice kick when his communicator beeped.

"_Captain?" _Came Anna's voice, _"I've detected another crash site nearby, less than half a kilometer. Judging from the ground disturbance, it probably occurred at or near the same time as Data and B-4's ship went down." _

Lore looked up, "What type of vessel?"

"_It's gone. There's just the ground disturbance, clearly showing a crash of a small vessel. I've detected the warp signature too, faint but on a clear heading. Lore, I'm…I'm sorry, but I can't find any trace of the homing signal anymore. It either stopped after this point or he found a way to mask it."_

"We have to follow that warp signature!" Lore cried. He bounded toward the exit, making a real clatter over the overturned stack of storage containers. Picard and Worf pressed against the wall so that he could get by, but Picard grabbed his sleeve before he reached the door.

"Lore! We're going to find him."

"I know we're going to find him!" Lore shot back, pulling his arm away, "What does that mean?"

"It means, relax."

Lore glared at him and stood up, looking comically outraged, "Don't tell me to relax!"

Picard made a bemused smile, "It's irritating, isn't it? Now, let's go. Picard to Hall, we're preparing to transport."

"_Aye, Captain." _She replied.

Lore stepped out into the wind and stood with his hands braced on his hips, thinking. He looked so bizarrely out of place in his tunic and vest, standing casually as it were a fine spring day, while Picard and Worf hunched their shoulders against the biting wind.

"I think we may be lucky!" Lore shouted.

"Why!" Picard replied.

"Because!" Lore smiled, "Maddox would never have left a warp signature for us to find! Whoever was on that other vessel clearly wasn't making any attempt to hide."

Picard frowned suddenly, "You said B-4 might not have any limits when it came to following his homing signal, that he might do anything! Don't you think it's possible that whoever was on that other vessel is…Well, that B-4 may have stolen the other vessel to continue on?"

Lore's smile faded.


	9. Voices

**IX.**

"_Did you just insult me?"_

"Lin? Lin? L'Nera?"

The woman hardly stirred. Her face was pressed down against the navigation console, squishing her cheek and lips forward in a rather comical way. Data smiled, but did not laugh. He may not remember laughing, but for some reason he knew it might be taken badly. He reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Huh…what? What!" Lin flinched and twisted away from him, "What are you doing?"

"You fell asleep on the console."

Lin gasped and darted her eyes quickly over the console. She checked their heading, the engines, and several other systems, all while shooting him suspicious looks.

"Did you touch anything?" She demanded.

Data frowned, "I did not access your vessel's systems in any way. Why would I wake you if I were planning to do so?"

She looked away and pursed her lips, twisting them back and forth in a subconscious show of thought. Data leaned over the console and examined the readouts.

"We are less than an hour out from our destination. Where are we going? You did not tell me."

Lin waved her hands over the console in a shooing motion, "Hey! You just go sit back there! Leave my console alone!"

Data frowned again, and this time with a little more intensity, "I am not _doing _anything to your console. Your constant insinuations that I mean you ill will are beginning to bother me."

"Well…well too bad!" She said, pulling a face that was rather childish for her age, which appeared to be somewhere in her early thirties. Once again, Data got the impression that she was _trying _to be unpleasant. Eventually, she looked away from him and shifted her weight a little. She reached up and scratched the space behind her ear, "Listen, I…I'm just accustomed to having someone aboard my ship. I'm usually alone, I…." She dropped her hands, "So why did you wake me, then?"

Data sighed and lifted his arm. He was not certain if he wanted to request help from someone who so clearly had some personal motive to be unfriendly, but he had no other choice. He had done as much as he could do with one free hand, and that had not been much.

"Oh, your hand. That's right." Lin nodded, "Do you know why you can't move your fingers?"

"Yes. Several of my servo linkages were fused together when I received the plasma burns. I must removed and replace them. If you have the materials, I will be able to talk you through—."

"I am a class seven engineer. You won't need to explain anything to me." She said haughtily, "That's why I'm alone. Engineers, class five and above, get to travel by themselves and don't need any assistance."

"I see." Data replied, though her snappish manner still irritated him. He wondered if he had always been so responsive to the bad behavior of others, or if he had merely _forgotten _how to cope with it. In either case, Data was quickly concluding that Lin was not a pleasant person. Still, he needed her help and she had not harmed him in any way. "How long have you been a class seven engineer?" He asked.

Lin walked to the back of the small cabin, which was barely twenty long and roughly seven feet wide, and opened a small storage compartment. "Thirteen years." She replied.

Data cocked his head, "How old are you?"

"Thirty one."

"You have been an upper level engineer since you were eighteen years old? Is that common?" Data asked. He was not sure why, but he had the impression that such an occurrence was not common. Perhaps he was remembering something.

"Not at all." She said, rather proudly, "I'm far more advanced than the other Taskers. Besides, childhood is a decadent invention of lesser species."

Her last words were spoken with such readiness that Data got the impression that it was a statement she had spoken often. Or _heard _often. She removed a box from the storage area and set it down on the table at the rear of the cabin. There was a small bench on either side of the table, and Data sat at one of them.

"What is a 'Tasker'?" Data asked.

Lin opened the box and removed several tools and small parts, "That's me. I'm a Tasker. My Directors trust me to repair and maintain their equipment across this sector. You have to be very advanced and very reliable to be a class seven engineer. They wouldn't trust just anyone."

"You must be a very accomplished engineer." Data replied, "I am…I mean, I _think _I am an engineer. I remember a warp core. Yes, I remember a very tall warp core, blue, that I must have spent much time around."

Lin shrugged, "That would make sense. With your cognitive capabilities, you could have been designed to be an engineer on a ship. Perhaps one of the Jem'Hadar battle cruisers. Lay your hand here."

Data placed his hand across the table top. The skin was charred and fused to the inner workings in several places, though he had managed to remove most of it himself. Lin took his hand and pulled it closer. She leaned close and examined the damage.

"I see the linkages. It won't be very difficult, though I can see why you couldn't do it yourself. These points need to be held down while the others are connected."

"Yes." He said, "Who are the Jem'Hadar?"

"Warriors." She said flatly, though the twitch of her lips shows some distaste, "They were engineered for battle, war tactics. They're notoriously bad engineers."

"Ah." Data nodded, "Are they suspicious and unfriendly?"

"Very!" She said, laughing suddenly, "Do you remember them a little? Is that why you ask?"

"No. You indicated that they were engineered, like you, by the Directors, and I was wondering if those traits are common in all of their engineered species."

Lin looked up to see Data's eyes shifting, and his lips twitched in the most subtle hint of a smile.

"Did you just insult me?" She demanded, "I am not suspicious and unfriendly!"

"Yes you are."

"I am not!"

"You are yelling at me." He said, returning her frown, "That is not very friendly."

"Oh!" She pulled his hand toward her roughly, "Just…just be quiet! I have work to do."

"Why are you helping me?" He said.

"Because I'm taking you back to the Directors, and they would be upset if I did not repair you." She didn't look at him as she began removed the small bits of bioplast sheeting that he had missed.

"That is the only reason?" Data pressed.

"Yes. W—what does that mean?" She scoffed.

"It means you are unfriendly."

"Argh!" She slammed her fist on the table and scowled at him, "I'm fr—I just—Maybe I don't want friends. Did you think of that?"

"Yes, I did." He assured her.

"Well?"

"If you have been alone for thirteen years, you have clearly accomplished that goal."

Lin stopped what she was doing and stared at him. Her brow wrinkled into an almost hurt expression, "Alone? How…how do you know I've been alone?"

Data returned her softened expression. It had not been his intention to be mean. "You said you have been a class seven engineer for thirteen years, and that class seven engineers travel alone without assistance. I will surmise, then, that you spend the vast majority of your time alone."

"I…I do." She muttered. She looked down at his hand and picked up her tool once more, "We need to finish this before we reach the outpost. I have work to do there."

"Will you take me to the Directors there?"

"No." She said, shaking her head, "The Directors aren't there, and I have several stops to make before I reach an area with a Vorta overseer."

"Oh." He said, somewhat disappointed, "We will not go there directly?"

"No." She said, shaking her head seriously, "I have a set schedule that I _must _keep. I can't stray from the schedule, ever."

"I see." He replied, "Why?"

She opened her mouth, ready to reply, but quickly snapped it shut. As she did this, her free hand went unconsciously to the chocker necklace at her throat. She ran her finger carefully under the black ribbon. At least, Data had initially thought it was a ribbon. On closer inspection, he could see that it was metallic.

Lin shook her head, "I just can't. Taskers who don't keep their schedules are lazy, ungrateful…. The Directors have to make sure Taskers like that don't neglect their duties, and…." She looked back down at his hand. Data saw the bob of her throat as she swallowed hard.

"I understand." He replied. He had been anxious to meet these Directors, and perhaps have his memory restored, but he knew he would not be able to find them without Lin's help. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Thank you for helping me, Lin. If I am to accompany you to your scheduled work sites, I can assist you with your tasks."

She leveled her eyes at him, and Data was prepared to receive another terse rebuttal. Instead, she seemed to force an awkward smile.

"That's, eh…fine. Good. Thank you."

Data nodded and remained still while Lin conducted the repairs to his hand. He wanted to ask her more questions, but the possibility of conversation seemed remote. He, after all, could answer no questions at all. He could give no response to the typical topics of conversation; how old are you? What is your line of work? Where are you from? He knew none of it.

And yet, he knew those were the questions people typically asked. How would he know that?

"My memory is troubling me." He said quietly as he watched her work, "I do not understand how I know some things and not others. It is…disconcerting."

"I would suppose so." She said with a nod, "You might remember more things before we arrive with the Directors. You said I looked familiar to you. Maybe you'll remember whoever it was you think I look like."

"I hope so."

Lin nodded, "If your memory is too faulty or you're too damaged, the directors might decide to discard you or reboot your systems." Data's eyes shot open and he gasped. Lin saw this reaction and continued, "Don't worry. I'm sure that won't happen. You appear to be a prototype of some kind and they would hardly discard a prototype. Besides, you appear to be cognitively undamaged. Memory is nothing, especially if they just want to retask you. You'll form new memories."

Data was surprised to see his lips turn up in an encouraging smile, as if she were actually trying to make him feel better about the situation. In a way, it helped. He was troubled by his lack of memory, but at the same time one could not miss what they could not recall. Could they?

"Thank you." He said, "I will try to remember things. Perhaps if I attempt to focus on things that feel familiar, I will—."

_Data, why are you ignoring me? _

Data gasped and reeled back in his seat, pulling his hand away from Lin's grasp.

"Hey! I need you to be still!" Lin protested, but Data's eyes were no longer on her. Instead, he looked all around the small cabin for the source of the voice. There was no one. Perhaps the radio comms were active.

_Data, I cannot see. I cannot hear. Please help me. _

"What's wrong with you?" Lin demanded. "Are you malfunctioning?"

Malfunctioning! Data gasped again and looked away from her. The Directors would not be pleased if he was malfunctioning, and what would they do? Would they deactivate him? Would they _discard_ him, as Lin had suggested? He could not imagine that hearing disembodied voices in his head was a good thing!

"I am…fine." He said, making an effort to sound casual.

_Data? Are you there? I am afraid. Is Lore here? Is Lore helping us?_

"Fine?" Lin said, "You just jumped away from the table for no reason."

"No, I…." Data closed his eyes and made an effort to shut out the voice. His efforts appeared to be working. Somehow, his desire to not hear the voice was forcing it away, making it quieter. He turned to face Lin and said, "I just remembered something. It startled me."

"Oh?" She smiled somewhat, "What did you remember?"

"Data." He said.

She raised an eyebrow, "What data?"

"No. Data. I believe it is my name. My name is Data."

Lin smiled and appeared to laugh under her breath. "Data. Data…." She said, "Actually, when you think about it, that's a rather attractive name."

"Thank you?" He said, unsure of how to take such a compliment, especially from someone who had as yet demonstrated no friendly qualities.

Lin shrugged and directed him back to the table, "Well, come on, _Data. _We need to finish this."

Data retook his seat and tried to ignore the pit of anxiety that had formed in him. It was not quite physical, but still just as distracting. There were something about the voice in his head, some _familiar_, and that familiarity was not just about the fact that the voice had clearly been his own. Yes, the voice sounded just like he sounded, though perhaps with a different cadence. And who was Lore? Why did the voice want know about Lore? And why was the voice afraid?

Data shook his head and drove it all away. He could not think about it. He could not allow any malfunctions to become manifest, not if he wanted to please the Directors. But…did he want to please the Directors? Why should he?

He shook that thought away too.

"Thank you for helping me, Lin." He said.

"You already thanked me." She replied, though he tone was not rude. It was more bashful now.

"I know, but organic beings have flawed memories, so I thought I would say it again."

"_I _have a flawed memory? You can't even—." Lin stopped when she saw the smile he trying to suppress. She allowed herself a short smile too, and said, "Mmm…well, at least there's one thing about you that seems to be undamaged."

"What?" He said.

"Your sense of humor." She replied. "I…I can't remember the last time I laughed."

"Oh?" He said, still smiling "In that case, I retract my sarcasm. Your memory _is _flawed."

Lin made a _harrumph _kind of sound and continued her work, though he was certain he saw fleeting smiles on her lips as she did.


	10. First Stop

**X.**

"_People don't like taskers. They avoid them."_

"It would appear that I was correct, Doctor. The Enterprise. There she is."

Bruce Maddox spun away from the examination table and faced the view screen on the wall. Weyoun had brought an image up on the screen just as he entered the room. It showed a view of a planet, apparently M class, with the _USS Enterprise – E _very clearly hanging in orbit. Maddox felt his stomach lurch, though he made an effort to hold back any reaction. Of course the _Enterprise _was here. He wouldn't have doubted they would make an effort to follow B-4.

"What are they doing?" Maddox said, pretending that he hardly cared.

"Mmm. You tell me." Weyoun replied, "They entered the quadrant _apparently _in pursuit of some fugitive in a shuttle craft. The craft managed to escape to this trading planet and the _Enterprise _has been in orbit ever since. Our operatives indicate that they are searching for some human accused of murder."

Maddox frowned instantly. "What? That's ridiculous. Picard wouldn't go chasing after some fugitive with B-4 missing. Even if Starfleet Command ordered him to."

Weyoun nodded several times and faced the screen again, "Then clearly this little charade has been designed to fool us, but what they're real operation is, I can't say. Our operatives indicate to me that no craft has left the _Enterprise_, and the movements of their personnel on the surface are being very closely monitored. If they are not actually chasing this so-called murdered, what _are _they doing?"

"Do you have any indication they have B-4!" Maddox said, his voice rising in a panic.

Weyoun smirked at him, "No. I would have told you so."

Maddox turned away again and hovered over the android on the table. The build was complete, but he had been performing minor upgrades here and there for lack of anything else to do, and to calm his frayed nerves. The sooner he had B-4, the sooner he could bring the new android online and this whole mess would be finished. Well…not finished, but at least on to the next step, which was…which was what? He didn't know. He didn't think about it. His entire purpose in life was wrapped up in the single goal of bringing his android online. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. Starfleet didn't matter, the Dominion didn't matter, Lore and Picard didn't matter—.

"Lore!" Maddox shouted, clutched the sides of his head. He spun around again, "His ship! Lore has a vessel of his own, fitted with a cloaking device. That's how he snuck into the Terrain system before! It must be him."

Weyoun's casual look faltered slightly. He frowned, "And you were going to share this information when?"

"I…I didn't think about it. I…."

"Perhaps you need some rest, Doctor." Weyoun crooned, "Allow some of our experienced engineers to finish up this work with the android. Our Taskers are some of the finest engineers you'll ever meet. They should be. Many of them were engineered for the purpose."

Maddox sneered angrily, "I'm not interested in getting help from any of your _slaves._ I'll attend to the android myself."

"Slaves…." Weyoun seemed to contemplate the word. "What is a slave, Doctor? One who works under force, yes?"

Maddox didn't respond. He was not interested in discussing Dominion cultural norms at the moment.

"Well," Weyoun continued, "You are here because you had no choice, and you can't leave. Isn't that right? Should you decide you no longer want to work with us, do you believe you can just walk away?"

Maddox turned around slowly, "I have no intention of doing that."

"It doesn't matter what your intentions are. I'm telling you the answer is no. You have no choice, Doctor. You will bring this android online. Our Taskers—excuse me; _slaves_—wish to serve the Founders. They _choose_ to work every day. In that, which one of you is the real slave?"

_They choose only because you brainwash them. _

"I don't need this." Maddox sneered, "I'm here, I'm working for you. You're wasting your time with all these pathetic intimidation games. If you would leave me alone for more than an hour at a time, I might actually get something done."

Weyoun chuckled as if Maddox had said something genuinely funny, which only left a sour taste in Maddox's mouth. He was beginning to think Weyoun was a little mad, or at least very good at putting on the show.

"Perhaps you are right, Doctor." Weyoun said with a smile, "I do tend to meddle. I'll leave you to it. In the mean time, I am going to instruct our agents to begin searching the systems near the wormhole."

"He's coming here." Maddox insisted, "I set the homing signal to bring him within half a light year of—."

"Then where is he!" Weyoun fumed suddenly. His pale complexion showed a quick flare of color, enough so that Maddox actually took a step back. "He should have been here by now! My scouts would have detected an Alpha quadrant craft!"

Maddox backed away until he felt the cold metal of the examination table behind him. He was larger and stronger than the Vorta, but what did that matter? He would never leave the compound alive, and he would never get out with his android, which he refused to leave behind.

He raised one of his hands, "I don't know, but we'll find him. If he hasn't reached us and Picard hasn't found him, he must be somewhere. I mean, how…how hard can it be to find a white skinned, gold eyed android?"

Weyoun's sudden bought of rage, which had so consumed him only seconds before, seemed all but gone. The man straightened his posture once more and shrugged, "No doubt, no doubt. I am dispatching scouts as we speak, though even we do not have the man power to scour every planet in the sector."

"Why every planet?" Maddox said, though his tone was distracted. Weyoun's sudden shift back into lazy congeniality was too much for Maddox to accept. The man was mad, or at least unstable.

"Why?" Weyoun chuckled, "You should know better than most, Doctor. B-4 is a machine, he does not require an M class planet. We'll have to search every sweltering rock from here to the wormhole for your precious android." He sighed heavily and craned his neck as he looked at the android behind Maddox's back, "It's such a pity. If you were more intelligent you would be able to bring this android online without the positronic pattern Soong created."

Maddox gripped the table edge behind him. He was so enraged he felt physically sick. "So sorry to disappoint you." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Mmm." Weyoun ambled toward the door, "I'm sure you are, Doctor. And don't worry about B-4. We'll capture him. As you said, how hard could it possibly be to find someone like him?"

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Lin leaned her head around the corner and scanned the far side of the room. Nothing. Just another crowd of merchants, tradesmen, and various persons of ill repute.

Where was he?

"Data!" She shouted across the room, her voice rising in frustration.

"Yes?"

"Oh!" She spun around, startled, "There you are. Where did you go?"

"This place is fascinating." He replied, "There are many different species and this establishment is most interesting."

Data looked over the room again over her shoulder. The place was dim and crowded, filled with the mingling scents of bodies, cooking food, and spilled alcohol. Although not a pleasant combination, Data still looked on the room with a happy fascination. He had already encountered several individuals who struck him as being very familiar, their appearances conjuring up similar images in his mind. It was the same familiar feeling he had when he looked at Lin, as if he had seen someone like her before. Her arched eyebrows and pointed ears were just so familiar. Why could he not place them?

"This _establishment_ is a bar." Lin said, putting on a sour face, "It's patronized by merchants and non Dominion sub-species."

Data frowned and cocked his head to the side, "Why do you call them _sub_-species?"

"Because they are." She said, shrugging her shoulders, "They aren't engineered. They're less intelligent. They have inferior strength and coordination."

"So do you."

Lin narrowed her eyes in an instant, "What?"

"You are inferior to me in the all of the qualities you just described. Does that make you a sub-species?" His said. His voice was even and genuinely questioning, though he acknowledged that he was antagonizing her a bit.

The antagonism seemed to work. Lin scowled in a most outraged way and pointed her finger at him, "How dare you! Just because I may not be as physically strong as you or have the same cognitive abilities does _not _mean I am a sub-species!"

"You are right. It does not." He said seriously. He stared at her for a moment, hoping that she understood his meaning. Seeing that she only looked confused, he continued, "What is the manner of the work you must do here? Is this a Dominion settlement?"

Lin looked around quickly, as if checked to see if they were being overheard. She stepped closer and said, "Just because the Dominion does not claim this place openly does not mean it doesn't exhibit control. There is a subspace transmitter here that routinely records and scans all radio transmissions from the settlement. I have several routine updates I need to conduct to it."

"I see." Data said, though the idea of this device being a secret from people here troubled him greatly. He decided not to mention it, and said, "Where is it?"

"Hidden in this establishment. The proprietor know about it."

"Does he work for the Dominion as well?" Data asked.

"No." Lin said, frowning, "He's compensated for his cooperation. Let's go."

Data followed Lin as she moved directly through the crowd of people, presenting very little in the way of manners when it came to pushing someone or cutting off someone's path. Boisterous patrons shouted their objections, but usually lost their anger the moment they saw the tiny woman who had shoved them.

"Careful there, sprite!" A barrel chested man laughed just as Lin shoved past him, "You're liable to get knocked over!"

"Or you first." Lin grumbled under her breath as she kept going. Data followed her with a mild irritation, falling behind as he politely waited for people to pass or excused himself for bumping into them. Just as Lin was about to reach the long bar at the other side of the room, she stopped and fussed with the scarf around her neck. Data had, of course, noticed when she donned the garment before they transported down, but now he found it curious. It was not cold there, and she appeared to be tightening it well around her neck and tucking the ends into the open front of her jacket.

He stepped next to her as she smacked the bar a few times.

"Okay, lady, what will you have?" The bar keeper said idly as he approached, his eyes focused on the dirty class in his hands.

"I'm here to inspect your food storage." Lin replied flatly.

"Food storage? We just had an inspection and—." She man's words died in his throat when he finally looked up and saw her. His eyes widened a bit, "Oh, it's you. Um…just a moment."

"He knows you?" Data asked when the man was out of ear shot.

Lin nodded, "I have a routine schedule, mostly. I've been here before."

Data nodded, but found himself distracted by the scarf around her neck. Why was she wearing that? With the first bar tender gone, another approached and leaned across the counter. He was a younger man of a species Data felt no familiarity with. His hair was bright purple and he had a heavy vertical forehead ridge. The man smiled suddenly upon seeing Lin, a bright and surprised smile.

"Well, well! I never thought I'd see one of you in this Quadrant!" The man laughed, "If you're going to ask for your ale, I'm afraid to disappoint you. We don't have any."

Lin frowned and shook her head, "I don't know what you mean. You must be confused."

"What? Oh, no, no! I'm sure of it. I used to travel a lot, and I met a few of your kind before. Truly, I never thought I'd see a Ro—." At that moment, the first bartender returned and leveled a powerful punch into the man's shoulder, stopped his words flat.

"Hey! What's your problem!" The purple-haired man objected, leveling a scowl at his coworker.

"Don't talk to her!" The man ordered. He grabbed him by the sleeve and began pulling him away, all the while whispering quickly in his ear.

Data watched all of this with a mix of fascination and concern. He turned to Lin and saw her once again fussing with the scarf around her neck. Her fingers twisted in the material in a slow, dejected sort of way. After a few moments, her shoulders seemed to sink and she looked at the floor.

"Lin? Are you all right?" Data asked.

"What?" She said, "Oh, yes. Of course I am."

"That man seemed to recognize you." He said, "As if he knew your species."

Lin shrugged, "He was mistaken. I already told you, I don't have a species. I was uniquely engineered. There are many races that look similar anyway."

Data nodded, but could hear something troubling in her voice. Some of the strength had left it, and she continued to look at the floor in a disappointed sort of way. Finally, Data could not contain his curiosity anymore, and he said, "Lin, are you wearing that scarf because you are attempting to hide the emblem around your neck?"

Lin shot an angry look at him, full of outrage, but it died quickly. Instead, she twisted her fingers through the scarf again and said, "It's easier not to make a scene."

"A scene?" Data asked.

"People don't like Taskers. They avoid them."

Data frowned at this, though he himself had told Lin she was unfriendly. Perhaps this was common to Taskers, and that was why people did not like them. Still, he said, "Why?"

"Because…because they're jealous, that's why!" Lin said, scowling suddenly and turning back toward the bar, "I've been deemed worthy to serve the Founders and they haven't, and they're jealous! That's all!"

Before Data could ask another question—and he had several—an older, portly man approached them from behind the bar and leaned forward. It was obvious that he recognized Lin.

"I would appreciate advance notice when you plan to arrive." The man grumbled, so low that Data wondered if Lin could hear him.

Lin pursed her lips and scoffed, "You are in no position to ask for considerations _or _make demands. Show me to your food storage area. That's all that's required."

The man clenched his jaw in a most unpleasant way and skulked down the length of the bar. He lifted a section of the counter and indicated for Lin to enter. When Data moved to follow her, the man slammed the counter top down in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded.

"He is with me, and it's none of your concern!" Lin countered.

The man faced Lin and shook his head seriously. He spoke in a harsh whisper, "No! I am to grant access to you only. _That _was the arrangement. I won't be led into some trap so that your masters can retract my payments!"

Lin's cheeks flushed red, and she unconsciously gripped the scarf around her neck, "How…how dare you talk to me like that!"

"Like what?" The man sneered, "I know what you are. At least I get paid for my part in this. You think you can hide what you are with that scrap of fabric around your neck?" The man reached out and slapped one of the ends of Lin's scarf aside like it disgusted him.

"Lin," Data said, "I will wait for you here. I do not wish to cause a problem." Although he was being accommodating, Data made a point to issue the man a displeased frown. He did not like his casual violation of Lin's personal space, and something about his snide insinuations about _what Lin was_ bothered him.

Lin shifted her weight as if to object. Her face was still red, and her breathing was heavy. Clearly, something the man said had truly bothered her. Eventually, she nodded.

"I won't be very long. The work is simple. I…." She trailed off just as she spun around and disappeared through the swinging door that led to the kitchen and back rooms. The proprietor did not follow. Instead, he turned to face Data and gave him an unfriendly, appraising look.

"So, who the hell are you? I didn't think the Dominion allowed their slaves to carry travel companion."

Data frowned immediately, "Slave? Why would you call Lin a slave?"

The man snorted and gave Data another appraising look, only this time he appeared to be gauging Data's intelligence, "What do you mean? She thinks she can hide what she is by covering up that collar, but I know. _Everyone _knows. Take my advice. Stay away from her. Go far and fast. The Dominion doesn't like people playing their toys."

Now Data was pushed beyond irritation. He did not like the insulting tone this man used, for Data had not seen any reason why Lin should deserve such treatment. He also did not think the word _slave _was meant to be kind. And he _knew _the word toy was derogatory.

"You are wrong." Data said sternly, "Lin is an engineer. She serves the Dominion and is proud—."

"There are penalties for talking to Taskers." The man leaned across the counter and gave Data a very serious look. It wasn't threatening or snide, but deathly serious. Data could see the color drain from the man's cheeks as he continued to speak in a whisper, "I am rude to that woman because I want her to do her job and leave as quickly as possible. I have known people who interfere with Taskers, and I didn't know them for very long because eventually they _disappeared_. The Dominion makes their views on this very clear. Don't interfere with their slaves, don't ask them questions, and don't _ever _try to enlighten them, or you'll regret it."

Data took a step back and tilted his head, "Enlighten them?"

The man shook his head, "I'm not saying anything more. You told me her name was Lin and I shouldn't even know that much."

"Lin is…." Data's voice faltered. This man must be mistaken, "She is a _slave_?"

He raised his hands and shook his head, "I'm done talking about it. Wait for her here and don't talk about her to anyone. The sooner you leave, the better."

Data watched the man as he moved back down the length of the bar and began tending to a few demanding customers. Data needed no personal memory to know what a slave was, and he certainly needed no prior life experience to know that slavery as an entire concept was wrong. Lin….No. The man was clearly mistaken. He simply did not understand the circumstances behind Lin's position and he had drawn an ignorant conclusion. That was it. That _must _be the explanation.

Data watched the kitchen door and waited. While he waited, he let his eyes scan over the room and tried to focus on those things that felt familiar to him. Disjointed memories of a grey starship with bright corridors and a small orange cat named Spot filled his mind.


	11. More Questions Than Answers

**XI.**

"_Actually, he seemed pretty confused."_

"Excuse me. I'm looking for a man."

"Oh, really?" Said a tall Karemma male, his deep voice dripping with delight, "I think I might be able to help you."

Anna frowned immediately. Her question had not come out the way she meant it to. She cleared her throat, "I mean, I'm looking for a man you may have seen. A friend of mine who's gone missing."

The Karemma wrinkled his large, ridged nose and grinned down at her. He had a bright, well maintained smile that he was clearly proud of. "You can see hundreds of people a day here, my dear."

"He would have looked very strange to you." Anna continued, choosing to ignore the leering way in which he ran his eyes up and down her frame, "He has white skin and gold eyes, but his features appear human."

"Mmm…possibly. But he doesn't sound very interesting to me. Perhaps you should be looking for male company elsewhere. Say...right here?"

Anna took a short step back, but not enough to dismiss him. He appeared to know something, and she and others had had very little luck so far. This bar was one of the last places they had yet to visit. Seeing that the man wanted _something_ for his information, she reached into her pocket and removed some of the latinum Lore had given her. They had all made sure to keep a fair amount, knowing that information didn't come free.

She held it up, "Look, I'm willing to pay you for your trouble. Have you seen anyone like I described? Was he here?"

"Money?" The man chuckled as set his drink down on the high table next to him, "I have half a dozen ways of making money, but you are a unique little treasure. I'll tell you what you want to know, but…" Here, he reached out and ran his finger along Anna's collar bone, "but, not for money."

Anna's eyes widened and she swallowed hard, but not out of fear. Oh, no. _She _had nothing to fear. She took a slight step back, "Just tell me or don't."

"Don't be like that, my dear. I know whores with half your beauty who cost a fortune. How could I pass up such an opportunity?" He took another step forward and touched Anna's neck again.

Her eyes darted over the man's shoulder, and she cringed. _Oh, God…._ "Look, pal, if you know what's good for you, you'll step away from me."

"Oh, I think _this _is good for me." He continued.

Anna groaned under her breath and shook her head, "I'm serious, don't touch me. You don't want to do that."

"I think I know what I want." He crooned.

Anna looked over his shoulder one last time and sighed, "I _did _warn you…."

"Argh!" The man barely let out a gasp as Lore grabbed him by the back of his collar and slammed his head down on the top of the high table. A collection of empty glasses bounced and toppled over with a crash.

"Trouble?" Lore said with a smirk. The man was already struggling, but getting nowhere for his efforts.

"A little." Anna admitted. She knew she shouldn't be finding amusement in this, but damned if she couldn't help it. How many women had this jerk harassed or insulted before her, she wondered?

The other patrons nearby, for the bar was very crowded, looked on the little display with either indifference or amusement. Apparently public displays of violence were common to them.

Lore pulled the man up by his collar and resisted the urge to hurt him in some serious way. Just the sight of him running his filthy fingers against Anna's neck had nearly cost him his temper, which was on edge already.

"Let's try this again." He said, "Have you seen _me _before?"

The Karemma narrowed his eyes angrily at Lore, but did actually appear to be taking in his features. He frowned, "I…yes. I saw someone like you."

"When?" Anna said, stepping forward.

He struggled a little more, but seeing that it was fruitless he slumped his shoulders and said, "Day before last! He was in here for… I don't know…an hour or two."

Lore frowned almost immediately, and gave Anna a questioning look. Why would B-4 and Data be here, of all places, and why for so long? What could possibly have kept him in a bar for two hours?

"Why was he here?" Lore demanded, "What was he doing?"

"I don't know!" The man hissed. He gave Anna a nasty look, as if his current predicament was all her fault, "He was just standing next to the bar the whole time, like he was waiting for something. I didn't care enough to watch him!"

"So much for the carrot approach." Came a wry voice. Picard and Worf approached through the crowd and stopped behind Anna. Picard looked on the struggling Karemma and gave Lore a bemused frown, "Is this the stick method?"

Lore rolled his eyes and pulled the Karemma up roughly. He released him by shoving him in Worf's direction, "If he doesn't leave immediately, it will be."

The Karemma pulled his jacket straight, issued Anna a final nasty glare, and shoved his way into the crowd.

"Do you have something?" Picard ask.

Lore nodded and made another quick glance of the room. The four of them blended in rather well, as far as clothing was concerned. Picard, Worf, and Anna had changed into dark civilian clothes before they transported down, but Lore and Worf were still managing to garner disproportionate attention from their looks alone.

"They were here." Lore said, "I don't think the Karemma was lying. He said B-4 was at the bar for more than an hour."

"At the bar?" Picard looked over his shoulder, "Doing what?"

"If I knew I would tell you." Lore muttered. His attention was already on the bar. He ran possible scenarios through his mind, wondering what possible reason B-4 and Data could have to be there.

"He said B-4 was standing there, like he was waiting for something, but he didn't know any more." Anna clarified.

"The bartender." Lore said, "He would have noticed."

The others nodded and began to make their way through the crowd. Lore stayed close to Anna. She reached back and touched his hand, giving him a coy smile.

"What?" He whispered.

"Nothing." She shrugged, though her smile definitely said _something._

"Whaaat?" He whispered again as he laced his fingers through hers.

"I think I'll go out of my way to talk to misogynistic jerks from now on." She replied, though her cheeks pinked under a guilty smile, "Is it horrible that I enjoyed that a little?"

"Yes."

Her smiled faltered, "Really?"

"Yes." He leaned in closer and said, "You should have enjoyed it _a lot._"

Anna rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand a final time before they reached the bar. A bartender approached them almost right away, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Lore.

"You again!" The man's purple hair swished as he twisted his head to the side and looked down the length of the bar, "Look, I was told not to talk to you, so just—."

"Listen, this man isn't the one you saw before." Picard said, leaning his elbows on the bar, "He just looks the same. We need to find this other man you saw, he's a friend of ours. Can you tell us what he was doing here?"

The man shook his head vehemently, "Is this a trick? Some kind of test? Look, I don't want any involvement with the Dominion, so just shove off."

"Dominion?" Worf belted, "You are mistaken."

"Yes." Picard continued, "This doesn't have anything to do with the Dominion. We're just looking for our friend. Can you tell us what he was doing here or where he may have gone? Did you talk to him?"

"This doesn't involve the Dominion?" The man sneered skeptically, "I may be new around here, but I'm not such a fool. He was with that Romulan slave, so don't tell me he has nothing to do with the Dominion—."

"Romulan slave?" Lore said, his eyes widening, "What are you talking about? He was _with _someone?"

"I'm not saying anything else." The bartender insisted, "Hell, I almost told that Tasker what she was, and do you have any idea what would happen to me if the Dominion found out about that? If they lost one of their slaves because of me? I don't want any part of it."

Lore gripped the edge of the bar and was about to reach over it and grab the bartender by his throat. Lore had absolutely no idea what was going on, and he was not someone accustomed to being confused. It was frustrating him. Romulans weren't slaves anywhere, and what the hell was a 'tasker'?

"We need this information, and we're willing to make it worth your while. Just tell us if you know where he went. Is he still here on the settlement?" Picard pressed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out all the latinum he had. He placed it on the bar in a neat pile.

Anna added the contents of her pocket to the pile.

The man's eyes fell on the money and he shot a nervous, shifty glance down the length of the bar. Lore was near the edge of his patience, but the man's internal struggle seemed to be leaning toward the money. He stepped forward and pretended to take their drink orders as he spoke.

"You promise you're not with the Dominion?"

And Lore smiled. Anyone willing to take a promise on something like that was an idiot, and an idiot was exactly what they needed at the moment. The bartender slid the money to the edge of the bar and let it fall into the front pocket of his apron. He leaned forward.

"He was traveling with a Dominion Tasker, a Romulan woman. She comes here twice a year on assignments from the Dominion. One of my coworkers told me about it. She did what she came to do and they left. That was two days ago."

"Where did they go?" Lore demanded. He resisted the urge to ask further questions about the Romulan woman.

"I don't know." The bartender said.

"Then return the money." Lore said ominously.

"Whoa, whoa." He said, "I don't know where they went, but I heard she travels in a unique vessel. A tiny transport, designed for one or two occupants at most, but it's capable of more than warp nine."

"That's it?" Lore said. He was leaning over the bar now and felt his frustration rising. They were just so damn close and so much was riding on everything. His brothers' lives were at stake! "Did you speak to him at all? Did he say _anything?" _

The man shrugged, nearly sending Lore's temper over the edge, before he stopped suddenly. He nodded a few times and said, "Actually, he seemed pretty confused."

"Confused?" Picard said, "How so?"

"For one, he didn't seem to know the woman he was with was a Tasker. He didn't seem to know _what_ a Tasker was."

_Neither do I, _Lore thought bitterly.

"Thank you." Picard said, summarily ending the discussion. He stepped back from the bar and indicated for the others to join him.

"Mr. Worf, please tell me you can shed some light on this, because I'm rather at a loss." Picard said.

Since Worf had been stationed on Deep Space Nine for years, his knowledge of the Dominion was more intimate than any of theirs. He looked at the floor thoughtfully.

"I recall rumors of the Dominion utilizing skilled labor outside of the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar."

"Slaves?" Lore said. He was interested, and yet at the same time utterly uninterested. He wanted to find B-4 and Data, but he could do without the lesson in Dominion labor relations.

"Yes, but they are usually taken from races already under Dominion dominance, or those which the Founders are attempting to genetically alter. I would find the idea of a Romulan trasker…difficult."

Picard cringed, while Lore looked on in eye rolling irritation. He knew next to nothing about the Dominion because he had never planned to visit the Gamma Quadrant and the subject held very little interest for him. He would have to learn to stop avoiding subjects that bored him, since such knowledge would have been a boon at the moment.

"It doesn't matter." Lore said finally, "The bartender could have been mistaken in anything he told us. Maybe this woman wasn't actually a Romulan. Maybe she is a Romulan be she isn't one of these _taskers _at all. Who care? We just need to get back on the ship and see if we can locate a residual warp trail matching the vessel he described."

"It's all very thin." Picard sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment and his jaw tensed. Lore would never admit it openly, but he could see that Picard was just as worried about finding them as he was he.

"But it's all we have." Lore said, "We need to go, but if what he told us is true, at least we have more to go on."

"How is that?" Anna asked.

Lore put on a bitter smile, "The only thing guaranteed to be more noticeable than my brother is my brother _and _a Romulan."

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"Are you all right, Lin?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?" Lin barked. She was at the rear of the small cabin, leaning over a storage container in the floor. She had just finished rolling up a thin sleeping mat and blanket, which she was now shoving back into the storage space from which she had taken them.

Data frowned and wondered how he should answer that question. Should he cite the nervous energy she had demonstrated since they left the last settlement, or perhaps the fact that her complexion had grown noticeably greyer in the last day? Or, perhaps he should mention the fitful way in which she had slept the last six hours—on the floor, mind you, since her vessel did not appear to have a sleeping berth—and the unsettling sounds her stomach had made the entire time.

"I am fine. I just…I just don't feel very well. It's nothing." She said, closing the floor crate and easing her way to her feet. Data watched her with unwavering focus. As she stood, he saw a rush of color pass over her cheeks and a quick sheen of clammy sweat move across her brow. Lin crossed the cabin quickly and fell into her control chair.

"You are not fine." Data said, standing. "You are ill."

"I am _not_ ill." Lin sighed. She rubbed her forehead with the back of her sleeve. Her breathing was shallow and fast, "We just need to get to my next assignment on time. My next allowance of rations will be waiting for me there."

Data's jaw fell open a bit as he looked around the room. He had already dedicated every inch of her vessel to memory, but he had not previously given any of it much investigative thought, and he was surprised he had noticed it before. There was no replicator. He had seen Lin drink water from pre-packaged ration bags several times, but he had not, as yet, seen her eat anything.

"You have not eaten." Data said. He stood, and his entire demeanor was almost accusatory, "I have been in your presence almost the entire time since the crash. I have not seen you eat at all."

"So?" Lin said. She was hovering over her console in a shaky sort of way, and the irritated glances she kept shooting at him did not appear to be helping her, "So what? Why do you care?"

Data regarded her response with genuine confusion, and a little hurt. "Why would I _not _care?" He replied, "You have not eaten in more than three days. You are posing a substantial risk to your health."

"If I had food, don't you think I would eat it?" She countered wearily, "It's my own fault. I was greedy. Over the last few months, sometimes I…I ate more than I was supposed to, and this is the price I have to pay. I've run out of rations before my scheduled pickup."

The price she has to pay? Something in her terminology troubled Data immensely, especially her willingness to chastise herself. While Data knew nothing of her eating habits or of the rations she typically had, Lin's slim build made him doubt that 'greedy' was an adequate term to describe them.

"Why did you not acquire food at the last settlement? It was readily available."

Lin laughed bitterly and gave him an incredulous look, "Readily available for _money_. I have no money, and I'm not going to steal. My Directors would be furious if I caused trouble with their collaborators because I was caught stealing from them. And…and it would mean they couldn't trust me."

"You would not have to consider stealing if your Directors had given you more food." He said flatly. He knew as he spoke that he was treading on dangerous ground, for Lin had spoken of her so-called Directors with nothing short of respect…and at times, outright awe. The miserable look she shot him was more than enough to tell him that his comment was unappreciated.

"My Directors provide me with _everything _I need." She insisted, "I have food, I have shelter. It's my fault if I can't manage to space out my rations in a more responsible manner. Jem'Hadar soldiers can go for nearly two weeks without eating."

"You are not a Jem'Hadar soldier." Data muttered. He was not certain why this was bothering him so much, but he also saw no reason to analyze that. It felt natural to be concerned about another person, even if Lin appeared to be motivated primarily by self interest.

He had a suspicion, however, that she only _seemed _that way.

"I slept too long before." Lin muttered to herself as she looked over the console's readouts. "I should have been doing to program setups for the next assignment."

Data actually sighed in response to this, "You only slept for six point two hours."

"Exactly." Lin replied. She shook her head in a chastising kind of way, "I slated myself for five hours, as usual, and now I'll have to spend extra time going over the program updates before I can install them." She twisted around in her seat and faced him, "We'll be at the next scheduled location in just under half an hour."

"Good. You will be able to eat." Data replied. He was actually surprised at his own tone, for he sounded remarkably cross. And…and should he not? While Data acknowledge that he knew nothing about the Dominion or these Directors, he found himself harboring rather unfavorable thoughts about them. Why would they provide Lin with so little food, and then provide her with no means to acquire more should she need it? He had also not forgotten the few statements she had made about them since first meeting her. She had once suggested that she would be _punished _if she arrived at one of her schedules locations late, and she said the Directors did not like _squandering _resources.

_And that man called her a slave…._

Data stepped behind Lin's chair and opened his mouth, but something stopped him. The look on her face when the proprietor at the last outpost had confronted her, and the way she had twisted her fingers through the scarf covering her necklace….

She was ill, and the subject obviously distressed her. Data returned to the bench and table at the back of the cabin and sat. While he watched her work over the console with slow, weak movements, he decided that he was going to mention it. As soon as she felt better, as soon as they were on their way to the next outpost.

Slavery was unacceptable.


	12. Down Time

**XII.**

"_What do you think you're doing?"_

There was nothing to do. After years of being in Starfleet, Beverly Crusher still could not get used to the 'hurry up and wait' reality of operations. They were desperately trying to find Data and B-4 while also looking out to make sure that the Dominion was not on their tail, both of which were enough to keep one's head spinning. That still did little to change the fact that they were following a residual warp trail that was more than two days old, and they had been following it for nearly twenty hours now.

"I should have brought the book I was reading." Ensign Blake sighed as he tossed a data pad in the air and caught it. "Lore's database is full of nothing but classics. Doesn't he read any modern fiction?"

"I'm surprised he reads at all." Crusher muttered under her breath. Truly, she had found more than her fair share of surprises since being on Lore's ship. She had expected the place to be, well, rather sterile. Lore took no joy in emulating humans for the sake of it, as Data sometimes did, and so she had not expected to find any superfluous signs of personality around. Still, she had been shocked to find several of Data's astrologically themed paintings hanging in the small stellar cartography lab. She had been even more surprised to find a half finished model of a Cardassian style space station in the main lab, clearly some kind of hobby of Lore's. She wasn't very surprised when Blake told her it was a sarcastic birthday gift for their friend Teni. Lore fully expected the Bajoran woman to burn the little model of _Gesteia Nor _Station in effigy.

It certainly wasn't what she had expected, but she had to remind herself that she had been wrong about Lore in so many areas already.

"I need to replicate another floor pad." Ensign Blake continued miserably, "My back is killing me sleeping on this deck!"

Crusher just shook her head. She knew Blake was talking just to talk, because he was bored and probably a little nervous. They were all nervous. Every hour was another hour deeper into the Gamma Quadrant and Dominion territory, and they knew that it was likely the _Enterprise _had gone as far as she could with the fugitive search charade, and had left back to the Alpha Quadrant. Still, Blake was getting on her nerves a bit.

"No one said this operation was going to be comfortable. Believe me, I've slept in far worse conditions." Crusher said, looking up from the console. She was standing on the control platform at the aft of the bridge, going over a list of medical supplies she planned to replicate. She wanted to put a few kits together for their next landing—.

A raucous snore broke through the hum of the room, actually causing Blake to jump a little. Both of them turned their eyes toward the blue sofa that had been pushed against the port side wall of the bridge. Worf was stretched across it, his tall frame barely fitting into the cramped space. His knees were bent in a very childish manner, and Crusher had to resist the urge to laugh. She knew Worf would hardly be pleased at such a thing. He was hardly pleased to be sleeping where people could see him anyway, but Lore's vessel was not exactly the most accommodating place for a bunch of humans.

Blake frowned, "This arrangement is stupid. I thought this ship had two sleeping quarters."

Crusher shrugged, "There were, but I think Lore was doing some kind of alteration to the other room. He was in the middle of it and the life support systems in there are still disconnected. We're roughing it together, Blake. Face it."

"I can't sleep on this deck again. I'm going to crash with Anna. She won't mind."

Crusher actually laughed, and had to check herself lest she wake Worf. She gave Blake a very bemused look and said, "Yeah, you do that."

"What?" Blake said, frowning.

"No. What _the hell_, is what you're going to be screaming when Lore drags you from that bed by your feet."

"Argh! This is stupid. Anna wouldn't want a whole bed and quarters to herself, especially when she knows the rest of us are sleeping on the floor." Blake crossed his arms and almost looked petulant.

Crusher shrugged, "Lore's ship, Lore's rules. Besides, I don't hear the Captain or Worf complaining."

The comparison seemed to sober Blake a little and he nodded. "I think I'll go to stellar cartography then and look at—oh! I'm such an idiot!"

"Shh!" Crusher chastised, looking at Worf, "Now, what are you talking about?"

"The holodeck." Blake said with a grin, "I completely forgot about the holosuite Lore has on the lower deck. I'm going to run a program with a feather bed and pass out."

Blake smiled at his own genius as he collected his jacket from the bridge chair and bounded down the short flight of steps. He disappeared down the starboard corridor with too much enthusiasm. It almost made Crusher feel bad about not telling him that the Captain had already had the same idea a few hours ago.

Completing her list of items, she reached across the console to retrieve a data pad she had left there. At some point earlier, Lore had tossed his jacket across the console, and she picked it up now to move it out of the way. As she pulled the coat down, something fell out of it and rolled down the slanted face of the console. The little object then bounced across the deck and down the stairs.

"Damnit." Crusher muttered. One of the mysteries of the universe was how little objects, when dropped, always managed to roll as far away as possible. She stepped down the stairs and knelt to retrieve a small blue box. She was about to just turn around and shove it back into Lore's coat, but the strangeness of the item struck her. It was old, for one. Very old. The leather was dried and cracked in places, and the corners were covered with tiny brass fittings.

Beverly Crusher was no snoop, and she never engaged in gossip, which made what she did next all the more perplexing even to her. She opened the box and her jaw fell open. Resting in a small bundle of blue silk fabric was a silver ring. It was topped with a heavily etched oval silver base, at the center of which rested a pear shaped emerald of a brilliant deep green.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Crusher looked up with a sharp gasp. Lore was standing in front of the control platform, where he must have entered from the opposite corridor. His eyes were narrowed in a dangerous scowl as they fell on the box in Crusher's hand.

"I…" Crusher stammered and looked down at the box. It was still open in her hand. She swallowed hard and felt a rush of heat move across her face. She was not afraid; she was embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—."

"What? Go through my possessions?" He stormed forward and demanded with a silent, but no less insistent, gesture that she give him the box. He took it and twisted around her to the control deck. Crusher watched him retrieve his jacket from the chair where she had placed it. She expected for him to blow up at any moment, or to at least begin mocking her for her amoral curiosity. Either seemed like something he would do, but instead he stormed around the control platform with a very angry posture and made a point of not looking at her. When he did finally look her way, he forced his eyes away just as quickly.

He looked worried.

"Lore." Crusher whispered, glancing at Worf, "I _am _sorry. Really. I moved your jacket and that box fell out. I opened it just because…eh…."

"Because you wanted to see if I could really be that foolish? Is that it?" He sneered, "Well, I hope you got your answer, _Doctor. _You won't…." He trailed off suddenly and looked away. Crusher was shocked to see his angry expression morph into a look of agonized worry. He stepped close to her and said through clenched teeth, "You won't say anything to her, will you? You will at least do _that _for me?"

Until that moment Crusher was not certain about what she had seen. It was just a ring, a piece of jewelry. Surely Lore had given Anna gifts before, or perhaps she had assumed it belonged to Anna anyway. But, Lore's desperate request shocked her into reality. Could he really be thinking about…?

"Oh, my God, Lore. Are you going to propose?" She gasped. Her mouth hung open, and she knew her expression was too shocked, but she couldn't help it.

Lore narrowed his eyes further, making an angry scowl, "I suppose I don't have to ask _your_ opinion on that, do I?"

"Lore, I didn't mean anything—."

"It doesn't matter. Forget about it, and just…just don't say anything to her." He turned around and grabbed a tool box, probably the item he had originally come for, and held it in his hand with his jacket. As he headed down the steps the way he had come, he muttered angrily, "It's a ridiculous human custom anyway."

Crusher opened her mouth to stop him, to apologize again, but it was too late. He disappeared down the port side corridor in a quick, angry stride. Crusher swallowed hard and ran her fingers through her limp, tired hair. As if this operation wasn't stressful enough, now she had to deal with Lore being angry with her. Of course she would not say anything to Anna. She wouldn't do something like that, especially not when it obviously meant so much to Lore.

And yes. It was obvious.

Crusher turned around and heaved a frustrated sigh as she tried to go back to her work. Just as she laid her fingers on the console face, she heard the rustle of fabric. She looked up and saw Worf still lying on the sofa, only his arms were now folded across his chest and he was wide awake.

She gasped, "Worf, how long have you been awake?"

He shifted in place and looked away, frowning uncomfortably. "Long enough." He grumbled.

Crusher dropped her face in her hands and groaned, "Oh, God…."

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Lore stormed into the main lab, wishing he had traditional swinging doors just so that he could slam the thing shut. Instead, the door hissed closed behind with far too much calm and reserve. He wanted to break something.

_Miserable, meddling woman! _He dropped his jacket and the tool kit on one of the work tables and stood rudderless in the center of the room. He allowed himself a moment of full worried angush. Would she say anything to Anna? No, probably not. His opinion of Beverly Crusher may have been—what was the word?—fickle at times, but he did not think so poorly of her as to believe she would do something like that. He knew that according to human custom, a marriage proposal was the height of seriousness. Crusher wouldn't meddle with that.

_How could I have been so stupid?_

It wasn't as if he had forgotten the ring was in his jacket. He just hadn't considered it an issue when he set it aside and went to check on a few of the lower deck systems. Anna was asleep, after all, and she would have been the only one to handle his things surely. Well, _that _was an assumption he wouldn't make again! The box was still in his hand, and he opened it slowly. He had already looked at the thing a hundred times over the past two weeks. He thought it was too large and decorative, but Anna's sister Beth had insisted it was perfect. Just like a museum curator to suggest an antique….

He snapped the box shut and shoved it back into his jacket pocket. It was a stupid idea anyway. Stupid! Humans and their ridiculous customs! Even now, weeks later, he couldn't understand why he had broached the topic with Beth, or why the idea had ever occurred to him. What was a marriage anyway? It was just some pointless ceremony, some useless social right designed to…to what? He was already with Anna, she already loved him. Why should he do anything else?

_What if she doesn't want to? _

He quickly removed the ring from his jacket again and turned around. Clearly it wasn't safe there, and what if Anna found it next time? How would be explain? He walked over to the table where Teni's birthday gift, a half finished model of the space station she despised, was sitting on a wooden base about 4" tall. Carefully, he lifted the entire base and model and set it aside. There, hidden underneath the base was a large brass plate inscribed in large letters:

ANNABELLE LEE

2380

It didn't need any further inscription or explanation. Anna would understand when she saw it. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the first authors he had ever read at Anna's suggestion, and the name…. Lore sighed and moved to plate the model and base down on the table. He could hide the ring in the empty space under the model base, just as he had been hiding the new nameplate for his ship. No one would find it there, since the model base appeared to be a solid piece of wood at first sight. He had thought, dimly, that he would present the name plate to Anna after she said yes to his proposal, but now he wasn't certain if he would even do it. Why should he, after all?

_Maybe she won't say yes…._

The lab door hissed open and Blake shuffled in, looking pretty miserable. He had a blanket and a sleeping roll in his arms. When he saw Lore, he halted and frowned.

"I'm sleeping in here, damnit." Blake insisted, tossing the bed roll near the corner, "I don't care if you're working in here or... Hey, what's that?"

Lore clenched his jaw angrily. He still had the fragile model in his hands and he could not place it back on the table fast enough to cover the name plate. He moved to block it, but Blake was already half way toward him.

"It's the model for Teni. What do you think?" Lore retorted, "The humorous gift was your idea."

"No, I mean that." Blake said, smiling. His grumpy, sleep deprived demeanor seemed to have faded, and he looked over the name plate with wide eyes, "What…wow! You're going to name the ship after Anna? That's great!"

Lore looked away, "Annabelle Lee is the title of a poem."

"What? Yeah, nice try. I know Anna's full name is Annabelle. This is great! At least I know the ship has a name now, so we're not traveling around in a jinxed up death trap."

"Your stupid superstition has nothing to do with it!" Lore sneered. He shouldered Blake out of the way and set the model base back over the brass plate. So much for hiding the ring there! So much for privacy at all!

"Oh, so you're hiding it." Blake said, grinning, "When are you going to give it to her? Is it a birthday gift? Wait, when's Anna's birthday?"

"Shut up." Lore grumbled, "I…I don't know. I wasn't planning on chasing B-4 half way across the Gamma Quadrant!"

"Well, it's great. I think she'll really like it." Blake turned around and headed toward the blankets he had dropped on the floor. Lore followed him with a disgruntled glare. He almost wished for a return to the days before Blake had been his friend. The man was a lot less trouble back then!

"Damn. I left my pillow on the bridge." Blake muttered, "I'll be back."

"Wonderful." Lore grumbled sarcastically. Blake left and Lore braced his hands on the edge of the work table where a burn out shield emitter was waiting to be repaired. He mind was not on it now, and he would rather be doing something else, but everyone had a lot of time on their hands. He more than the others, since he did not have to sleep and he was too much of a control freak to allow his vessel to operate under anyone else's oversight for very long. The sooner they found B-4 and Data, the better.

At this point, there was one thing he was certain of. B-4 was no longer under the control of the homing device. The fact that the signal was gone was just the first clue. It was this bizarre planet hopping that set it in stone. Why was B-4 doing this, and why was he traveling with someone? Was it possible that Maddox had sent someone to intercept B-4, this Romulan woman?

He was currently pushing the engines twenty percent above maximum. He was going to find out, no matter what.

The tool kit he had taken was incomplete, which he would have noticed by weight alone if Crusher's snooping hadn't distracted him. He needed the hyperspanner to finish his work. Sighing heavily, he headed toward the corridor. As soon as the door opened, he felt his breathing stall. He could hear the voices on the bridge.

"Oh, he told you about it already?" Blake said casually, "I think it's great. About time to."

"You…. Wait. What?" Crusher stammered, "You know about it?"

"Sure." Blake said, "Well, I only just found out. Have you seen it? Anna's gonna love it!"

"He told you about it? He was angry with me!" Crusher said, indignant.

_Damnit! _Lore clenched his fists at his side and began storming toward the bridge.

"Angry about it?" Blake balked, "Why? It's not like you would spoil the surprise."

"Well, surprise isn't exactly the word I would use, but no I wouldn't." Crusher agreed, "Just be sure you don't say anything around Anna. If you spoiled Lore's proposal, he would kill you."

"Proposal! What!" Blake cried, "I thought we were talking about Lore naming his ship after Anna!"

"What?" Crusher spat, "Oh, God!"

It was at that moment that Lore came around the corner, his fists clenched so tight he could feel his nails cutting into the palms of his hands. Crusher, Blake, and Worf turned to face him at once. Crusher and Blake looked alarmed and worried. Worf looked away, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe he had any involvement in this.

"I hate you both!" Lore hissed under his breath. He shot a glance past them toward the door to his quarters, where Anna was currently sleeping. At least, he hoped she was still sleeping, "Are you this bored, you have to entertain yourselves with my business?"

"Aw, jeez." Blake said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Don't be mad. This is great! So you're going to pop the question, huh? I can't believe it!"

Lore pointed a finger at him, dangerously, "Stop talking, Blake. Stop talking, now. I don't want to hear another word about it. Do you understand?"

"What? Yeah. Okay. Don't worry." Blake said, raising his hands. Crusher and Worf made a point of avoiding eye contract with Lore, while Blake continued to smile in his ignorance.

Lore made a wide circle around the control platform and headed for his quarters. He hesitated outside the door for just a moment before he went in. The room was still dark and he could hear Anna's deep, steady breathing. She was still asleep. At least that was going his way. Nothing else seemed to be at the moment.

He crossed to the opposite side of the bed and kicked his shoes off. Seventeen straight hours of meaningless busy work, mixed with his newfound irritation at Crusher were quite enough! He crawled into the bed and lay behind Anna, immediately wrapping his arm around her. He was sorry to wake her, but was also glad to hear her stir and turn her face toward him.

"Hey." She whispered, smiling, "You must really be bored if you've come to watch me sleep."

"I've never had any issue with watching you sleep." He whispered back, kissing her temple.

"Is there anything new? Are we still on course?" She said. She snuggled back down into the pillow and hugged his arm against her.

"Yes. The heading has us on route to another merchant planet."

"Dominion?"

"Apparently not, but Worf says the Dominion exerts control subversively all over the Gamma Quadrant. They don't need an overt presence." Lore sighed and closed his eyes as he rested his head on the pillow next to her. He must have been out of his mind to think of doing anything to endanger this. What if she didn't want to marry him? The question alone could ruin everything, when everything was perfect already. He should just forget the whole idea. He really must be spending too much time around humans for such a ridiculous notion to have ever occurred to him.

"I'm glad I'm here with you." She muttered, already falling back into sleep.

Lore lifted his head and looked at her, "Me too. But, what do you mean?"

She opened her eyes and smiled, "I know you could have gotten Captain Picard to make me remain aboard the _Enterprise _if you wanted to, because of the danger. You did think about it, right?"

Lore smiled in a guilty way and shrugged his shoulders, "I may have _considered _it."

"Mmm." She laughed a little, "I thought so, but I'm glad you didn't. I would rather be with you, no matter what's going on."

"You would?" He said hopefully. The words left him too quickly, and before he could temper them. He regretted it as soon as she gave him a curious look.

"Of course." She said, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes." He said at once, "I…I'm just frustrated."

"About Bee and Data. I know." She sighed, "We're going to find them. How much longer until we reach the merchant planet?"

"Fourteen hours." He replied, "But if we're lucky, we won't even have to stop there. The warp trail we're following was the only one that matched the description, small but traveling at high warp. If we can pick up the same signature leaving the planet, we'll just continue after it."

"Let's hope they're still there and we won't have to do that."

He nodded silently. His only response was to hug her tighter. Anna fell back into a deep sleep in mere minutes, and Lore listened intently to the sounds of his ship as it continued on deeper and deeper into Dominion space.


	13. The Novel Concept of 'Help'

**XIII.**

"_You can't help me."_

Lin shivered as she regained consciousness. As was usually the case, the first thing she noticed upon waking was the cold. Her vessel's energy reserves were heavily dedicated to the warp engines, meaning that there was very little to spare for creature comforts like luxurious heating levels. It wasn't so bad when she was awake and moving around, but it was at moments like this that she wished, just wished, that her Directors would allow a _slight _increase in her resources. She did work hard, after all. She had never missed a scheduled stop, not once in thirteen years of solitary assignments. As usual, the thought came and went before she reminded herself, forcibly, that she owed everything she had to her Directors. She owed them her very existence, did she not?

She pulled her blanket tightly around her neck and shivered one last time before she forced her eyes open and sat up. She groaned and was immediately overtaken by a wave of nausea and light-headedness. A moment of fear washed over her as she thought she would fall unconscious. What if she couldn't make it to her next ration pickup? She was so hungry it was making her sick. What if she wasn't able to maintain consciousness and do her work? Already she could feel the urge to go back to sleep becoming overwhelming, and she _had _to control her vessel and bring it into orbit. She had no one to rely on but herself. It had always been that way….

"Oh!" She gasped as a shock of realization hit her. She twisted around, still clutching her blanket, and came nearly face to face with Data. He was kneeling on the deck next to her, and she wondering how long he had been like that. "Data! What are you doing?"

"I was going to wake you. We will be arriving in orbit within the next twenty minutes." He said quietly. He appeared to be examining her closely.

"What? You…you made the course corrections?" She rolled onto her knees and did everything she could to look collected. Her head felt heavy and hot. How could she have forgotten about Data, even in her groggy state? She was just so used to being alone, all the time….

"Yes." He said, "I did not wish to wake you. How do you feel?'

She clenched her jaw against a wave of nausea and knew that the horrible sound her stomach made provided the answer for her. Data sat back and frowned.

"I'm fine." Lin offered, "I'll just see how about my ration delivery when he transport down, and then I'll handle the assignment."

Data nodded, but did not appear satisfied, "What is the assignment?"

"I have to provide the security protocols and transporter tags for a dilithium shipment. The outpost we're going to is a mining settlement with a very large merchant port attached. The people who operate the mine are supposed to accept and hold my ration shipment." She replied quickly, swallowing hard. Just the thought of her ration shipment was making her mouth water, despite the fact that the rations were not exactly luxury food. In fact, they were small crumbly bricks of compact, pre-dried food replacements complete with all nutritional requirements.

She had never known anything else.

"Lin?" Data said, placing his hand at her elbow. She wavered and nearly fell over as she tried to stand, but Data held her fast and guided her to the pilot's chair.

"Don't ask me if I'm all right again." She said wearily.

"I will not." Data assured her, somewhat bitterly, "I already know the answer."

"Then what were you going to say?" She reached forward and began going through the usual preparations for entering orbit.

"I was going to ask you…" He wrinkled his brow curiously, "have you ever been sailing?"

Lin frowned, "Sailing?"

"Yes. In a boat, on open water. Have you ever done that?"

Lin was a bit taken aback. His manner seemed so earnest, as if he was hoping for one response or another. Finally she said, "No. I have never been on a water craft."

"I have. At least…I am rather certain I have." He looked at the deck and his expression became distant as he appeared to recall something.

"You remember?" Lin gasped, "What?"

Data smiled, "I was on a small boat with sails, on a contained body of water. I was not alone. The man with me mentioned something about swimming. I believe he was—is?—my friend. I called him Geordi."

"Geordi." Lin repeated. The name did not have a familiar sound to her, but there were so many alien races and she knew so little about most of them. "Do you remember anything else?"

Data shifted his eyes. His smile turned somewhat bashful. "Yes," He admitted, "I cannot swim."

Lin tilted her head, confused, then actually grinned as an easy realization hit her. Of course. He was a machine. "You tried to swim and you sank, didn't you?"*

His smile widened, and Lin's followed suit despite still feeling ill. Humor was not something Lin had much experience with, honestly, but she knew what made her laugh. The idea of Data sinking to the bottom of a lake, unharmed, was definitely funny.

Unless….

"Oh!" She said, "Were you damaged? Did you require a lot of repairs?"

He shook his head, "I do not know. I can only recall the boat and sinking and hearing my friend yell after I went over the side."

She smiled again, but soon her happy demeanor faded. She mumbled something about the Directors possibly being pleased about his memory returning. She said it because she did not know what else to say. As she went through the navigation logs and saw all of the course correction Data had made, she turned her face away from him and smiled again. She was not used to having someone with her. Had he not been there to make the corrections she would not have been able to sleep. She would have had to stay awake to make sure everything went correctly, had it not been for him….

"We're coming into orbit now." She said, shaking the idle thoughts out of her head, "The complex is very close quarters, build almost directly on top of the mines, so we won't have to travel very far on foot. Do you want to stay here?"

Data raised his brow at her.

Lin immediately reprimanded herself. What was she thinking making such as offer? She didn't trust him with her vessel! At least, not alone. Her being asleep had been just an aberration. Yes, an aberration. She shook her head, "No. Never mind. You're coming with me."

Data merely nodded, though she wondered what he was thinking. He had an expressive face, she could see that, but he was clearly not one to let every thought and emotion show. He was more subtle than that, not like her. Years of being alone had meant that she never had to learn the fine art of expressive restraint. When alone she frowned at uncooperative equipment, shouted at other shuttle pilots in port, and smiled broadly when she played music.

"Would you like me to assist you with your assignment?" Data said, breaking her wandering thoughts.

Her gut reaction to say no and to remind that him that needed no one's help, but she faltered. She really did not feel well, and the sooner they finished their task the sooner she would be able to break into her rations and eat. She only hoped she could control herself and keep to the daily allotment. It was uncontrollable hunger, after all, that had caused her to eat so much before and be in her current predicament. She gave him a shifting glance and said, "Eh…that's fine. Yes. If you want to."

Data nodded again, making that same subtle, almost passive expression, as if he was going out of his way not to show a bigger reaction. Lin frowned, once again wondering what was going through his android mind, then swiftly reprimanded herself. Maybe nothing was going through his mind. Maybe he did not have an inner dialogue like organic beings did. Maybe his reactions were nothing more than programmed responses to outside stimuli. That was a possibility. In fact, it was likely!

So why did she find that so difficult to believe? She turned away from him and stared at the console as she brought the vessel into orbit around a dull grey world.

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Lin insisted that she was fine, but Data knew better. Her complexion was pale and clammy and she stood with a nervous tension as if she was afraid she was going to pass out. She had taken a seat several times as they walked from the transport site further into the outpost, and each time she had blamed the stop on something supposedly being stuck in her shoe, or on needed to adjust a fallen sock.

Data frowned and once again entertained unfavorable thoughts about the Directors. He was slowly beginning to wonder if he should want to meet these people. They were clearly not very conscientious.

The outpost was comprised of a tightly packed assortment of grey buildings, each close enough that the dirt lanes between were only wide enough for pedestrian traffic. All of the outlying buildings appeared to be situated around the entrance to a large industrial complex, which Data easily surmised was the entrance to the dilithium mines. He followed Lin in that direction before she stopped near a smaller outbuilding, some kind of security post.

"I must check in with the mine operator and see about my ration delivery. Then we can see to the assignment." She said. Her statement, and the fact that she took a step away from him, was indication enough that he shouldn't come with her. No doubt the mine operator might not look kindly of seeing someone he didn't recognize. Data nodded and looked around. His curiosity was already peaked with regard to the boisterous outbuildings, many of which appeared to be eating establishments and trading posts.

Lin followed his gaze, "There. That place caters to many of the mining personnel and I know the proprietor. You can wait for me there."

Data smiled suddenly, "You know the proprietor? He is a friend of yours?" He recalled Lin saying once that she 'had no friends'.

She shook her head, "No. I caught him trying to steal from the dilithium shipment once, and told him that if he did not agree to make regulate material tribute to the Dominion I would see him prosecuted."

_Oh. _Data's smile faded. He watched her move off down the lane toward the small outbuilding until she entered. He then turned and headed toward the loud, bright confines of the establishment.

It was a bar more than a restaurant, though several patrons cradled small baskets of food from which they nibbled as they talked with each other. Unlike at the previous outpost, the majority of the patrons appeared to be from one race. They had low, rounded features and protrusions at their temples that only made their faces look wider. Most of them wore dark work clothes, and Data easily guessed that they were workers from the mines. Not knowing where else to go, he approached the bar and took a seat near the wall.

"This isn't my fault! You were the last one to use the thing!" A woman screeched. Data looked up to see an elderly woman standing behind the bar, her hands placed firmly on her hips. She faced off with a man of similar age, who shook his head dismissively before pointing a finger at her.

"You were the one placing orders so fast that it barely had time to materialize one before it started on the other. You overloaded it or something!" As he spoke he waved his hands toward a shelf in the wall behind them. Once again, Data's strangely selective memory loss allowed him to instantly recognize the item as a basic food replicator.

"Overload it!" The woman sniffed, "That's ridiculous! I've been placing orders like that for years, it can handle it."

"Clearly not, or it would still be working!" The man fumed, throwing up his hands, "What are we going to do now? I can't afford a new one…."

Data continued to listen as the couple bickered back and forth about the damaged equipment, while also taking in the surroundings of the room. The boisterous conversation, laughter, and the mingling scents of food and drink all combined to bring something to his mind, something that he knew. A large room full of people, talking pleasantly. They all wore similar clothing too, some kind of uniform in variations of blue, gold, and red. There was a table covered in boxes wrapped in decorative papers, and a tall man with dark facial hair was pulling the paper from the boxes with happy enthusiasm. He laughed at the contents of the box, and someone shouted 'happy birthday, Will!'

_You are thinking about Captain Riker. Why are you thinking about Captain Riker? _

Data gasped and pulled his hands into his lap. Luckily it was the only outward sign of his shock and no one appeared to notice. That voice, in his head. He had not forgotten about it, but he had hoped it was gone for good. Still, he could not help but listen to it. The man in his memory was Captain Riker? How would a voice in his head know something that he did not?

"I do not know Captain Riker." Data thought. He did not speak the words, but merely formed them in his mind. He wondered if communication with the voice was possible.

_But, you _do _know Captain Riker. He is your friend. _

Another shock moved through him. He did not like this. Something must be wrong with his thought-process subsystems. His internal dialogue appeared to be fractured!

"I do not remember him." Data thought, testing.

There was a long pause before Data felt a sudden wave of fear and worry. It was not _his _fear and worry, but a kind of communication. Was it from the voice?

_You do not remember! No! I do not want you to forget! That is bad!_

So his subconscious was expressing concerns about his memory loss? That made sense. If there was a communication disruption between his conscious and subconscious, his interactive subsystems may have created an explicit communication mechanism in an attempt to reestablish a connection. Thus, he was talking to himself. Literally.

"I have lost my memory. I do not know how." Data thought. If he was talking to 'himself', as it were, perhaps he would be able to garner memory information through direct inquiry, "Do you know how I lost my memory?"

_No. I do not remember. We were in the lab on the _Enterprise_, and then everything was dark and I do not remember. Where are we, Data? Why can I not see? I always let you see things. _

Data gasped again, and this time he showed it with his shocked expression. We? Why would his subconscious speak in third persons? And the last statement truly confused him. He leveled out his expression and dropped his eyes to the bar. Manifestations of interactive subsystems were based on repetition and use. The more they were utilized, the more ingrained they became in his neutral net. As such, Data decided that he should _not _encourage it. He might be doing repairable harm to his systems by even engaging this programming glitch, for that was clearly what it was. There was no other explanation. Besides, he had begun to remember things on his own. Clearly this method was not needed.

_Data, I am afraid. Please do not ignore me. _

He pushed the voice away.

_You said you would not take control. You said you would wait for Lore to finish your new body…._

Data ignored the words. They were nonsense. The result of his corrupted memory mixing with a poorly formatted interface. Nothing more. The voice pleaded again, but was quieter now. Data continue to push it back, down, as he searched for its sourse file. Like his previous attempts, his search yielded little. His ability to access his own files was still heavily corrupted. He simple could not _remember _ where things were kept, how they were organized.

He closed his eyes in frustration, then looked up suddenly. How much time had passed? Thirty-six minutes. Lin had said she would come for him quickly, and he was suddenly worried. He recalled how she had told him that people did not like Taskers, that they avoided them. Perhaps she had fallen ill, even unconscious, and no one would help her because they had seen the emblem around her neck!

His attention broke away from the room and the fighting couple behind the bar as he alighted from the bar stool and headed for the exit. Several people gave him strange looks as he moved out into the cold and sleet, probably as much due to his skin as to his lack of cold weather garments. He made his way back toward the outbuilding and was fully prepared to enter when he saw a figure Lin's height standing at the entrance to the massive complex. She was leaning against a large storage container, partially hidden by its deep shadow. He approached and was shocked to hear the sound of sobs. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, and she kept moving her hand to her face, though he could only see her back.

He approached slowly. From what little he knew of her by now he easily guessed she would not like to be seen crying. "Lin?" He said, announcing herself.

She straightened immediately and made a few furious wipes at her face, "Yes, yes. Just a moment."

"What is wrong?" He said, stepped forward.

"Nothing. What do you mean?"

He stopped next to her and made a point of looking at her face, "You have been crying."

"What! That's ridiculous!" She scoffed, turning decidedly away from him.

Data looked at the ground, somewhat dejected. Was she reluctant to share her concerns with anyone or just him? He wondered why such a thing would concern him. His personalization of the issue was not exactly logical, as he had no reason to feel that way. Still, he was surprised to find that it concerned it, the idea that she might not wish to confide in _him._

"Lin, please tell me what is wrong." He said, lowering his voice, "I will try to assist you."

"You can't help me." She muttered. After a moment, she drew a deep breath and forced her posture upright, "The mine operator has just informed me that my ration shipment isn't here. Apparently, there were unforeseen circumstances and the usual cargo freighter was forced to change course."

There was no hesitation in Data's reaction. He knew what this meant to her. It meant she was not going to eat today. It also meant that the hunger pangs and sickness she was experiencing were only to get worse.

"Do you know when it is scheduled to arrive?" He said, sounding not at all pleased, though keeping it subdued. Why would her Directors allow such a thing? Better yet, why would they allow the situation to persist that would turn such an event into a crisis?

"It isn't coming here. The operator told me it was redirected to my next scheduled stop." She said. She wiped at her forehead and the sheen of sweat that had formed there. Data could tell that it was a mix of physical discomfort and frustration that had driven her to break down and cry. No doubt she had been looking forward to the relief….

"How long will it take us to arrive at your next stop?" Data pressed.

Lin clenched her jaw tightly and tried to look nonplussed. She said, "After we finish the work here, another twenty-two hours."

Data made a point of keeping his expression calm, though he favored an angry reaction. She had already gone more than three days without eating. While she would no doubt survive a fourth, it would not be without a considerable amount of pain and discomfort. She would probably not even make it to her next assignment without his assistance.

It was unacceptable.

"Is this the location of the dilithium shipment, where you will be working?" Data asked, indicating the large complex ahead of them.

"Yes, but…." Lin shifted her weight and glanced up at him uncomfortably, "You are going to help me? I thought you said you would."

He opened his mouth to reassure her that he would, but stopped. An idea came his mind suddenly, and it too perfect to ignore. It would solve everything. He shook his head, "I am sorry, but there is something else I must do back at the outpost."

"What? I—." Lin cut herself off suddenly and shook her head, as if clearing it. She lifted her chin and wiped at her face again, "Fine. I always do my work alone. It's nothing." She marched forward, ready to push past him.

"Lin, I…." Data began, but stopped himself.

"What?" She muttered.

He could not tell her. Somehow, he knew if he told her of his plan that she would object and argue some fault with it. He could not allow that, and so he must leave her to believe he simply did not want to help her. He said, "I will wait for you at the transport site."

She nodded curtly and kept walking. Data watched her go and felt a pang of remorse. He did not wish her to think ill of him, that he would rescind his offer to help her, but his other goal was far more pressing. After she disappeared into the complex, he retraced his steps back toward the boisterous tavern he had just left. Sure enough, the elderly proprietors were still arguing over what they were going to do about their malfunctioning replicator.

*While Data is shown to have a "floatation device" in his body during Star Trek: Insurrection, I chose to give more credence to the story Geordi told about Data trying to swim, which was told during the episode Descent II. I always found the idea of the "floatation device" in Insurrection to be too ridiculous, and since it represented a contradiction by the Star Trek writers I have allowed myself to go with the more appealing option =)


	14. Meanwhile

**XIV.**

"_Commander Data _is_ the first officer of the Enterprise."_

"Now, what do you make of this, dear Doctor? I find it to be quite troublesome."

Maddox shoved past the man and elbowed his way through the throng of bored looking Jem'Hadar soldiers. Weyoun had told him nothing about what they had found on the planet's surface, leaving him to wait aboard the warship like some errant child. He swore Weyoun got pleasure is tormenting him with these asinine tactics.

He reached the small, tilting craft and braced his hands on the door frame. The soldiers had already ripped out the damaged hatch door, but getting in was still tricky due to the angle of the vessel. What would he find inside? Was it B-4? Weyoun had told him nothing, and the acid in his empty stomach began to swirl and bubble. What if it was B-4 and he had somehow been damaged beyond repair? With nothing to go on, he dreaded to imagine what Weyoun would do with him. Starfleet had tolerated his limited progress for years, but he seriously doubted that the Dominion would be so obliging.

The vessel was cold and damp. A constant breeze moved through from the busted out viewport at the front, and the floor was covered with dirt. He scanned the space quickly, but it was clear in an instant that B-4 was not there. There was no one there. Nothing. What the hell?

He clamored back toward the hatch and out into the biting wind. Weyoun was still standing in the same spot a few yards away, apparently undisturbed by the cold. He gave Maddox a plastic smile.

"What do you think, Doctor?"

"Think about what?" Maddox shot back, "There's nothing in there. What did you bring me down here for anyway?"

"Think. You're supposed to be intelligent, aren't you?" Weyoun replied, "This is a Bajoran vessel. As I'm sure you know, Bajorans are not in the habit of touring the Gamma Quadrant. I think it's obvious that your android entered the wormhole in this vessel."

The blood drained from Maddox's face as he looked back over his shoulder at the vessel again. "But…where is he! If he crashed here, how did he get off the surface or—." His head was spinning. It was all over. He had failed. The cloaked vessel, Lore's vessel; that was it. They had caught up with B-4 and recaptured him!

"I know what you're thinking, Doctor, but let me assure you." Weyoun said with a sigh, "Your android was gone from here long before Lore arrived. _If _he arrived."

"What?" Maddox said, aghast. The way Weyoun spoke, it sounded like he knew so much more than he had been letting on. How would be know any of that? "Then where is he?" Maddox demanded, "How did he get off the planet's surface?"

Weyoun smiled, "We have surveillance probes in orbit around his planet. One of them was recently repaired, and would you guess the very first thing it caught once it came online?"

"The…this vessel?" Maddox said.

"That's right." Weyoun said, "So, we know precisely when your android arrived here and crashed. From what we can tell, the vessel was behaving erratically before it went down. We're taking steps to locate the Tasker now."

"Tasker?" Maddox shook his head. Now what the hell was Weyoun talking about!

"Have you been listening, Doctor?" Weyoun said, frowning suddenly. It was amazing how quickly his faux-pleasant façade could drop, "I will say it again. The surveillance probe in orbit around this planet was repaired just before your android crashed. _Just _before. There was a near collision with the Tasker's vessel, causing it to also crash land. Since the Tasker's vessel is no longer here, and neither is your android, it's a fair assumption that they left the surface together."

"What? That—that's perfect! We just have to find the Tasker!" Maddox said.

"That's right." Weyoun said with a sigh, "_We _will clean up your little mess, Doctor."

Maddox narrowed his eyes and stood up straight. Was he not the one who had figured out how to activate B-4's homing signal? Was he not the one who had built a new android, just waiting for the positronic template that B-4 would provide? There was fault on their part too! For one, they had still not devised a way to track Lore's cloaked vessel. Or if they had, they weren't telling him about it.

"If your _Tasker _has him, why haven't you been informed?" Maddox shot back.

"Our Taskers are very well trained but, unfortunately, their training is often of a very narrow nature." Weyoun shrugged his shoulders, "It is likely that the Tasker in question chose to resume his duties rather than break routine in order to bring the android to us."

Maddox snorted and rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure why he was building androids for the Dominion, since they already appeared to have a decent supply of _robots_. Considering what Weyoun knew, and the fact that their next move was obvious, he was suddenly enraged. This entire little scene—bringing him down there, having him examine the inside of the craft—it was all just another part of Weyoun unending mind game. They should have already been on their way in pursuit of this so-called Tasker! Tasker…. Maddox shook his head. What a quaint little euphemism for _slave_.

"I take it you know where this Tasker is, then?" Maddox muttered as he approached Weyoun, waiting to transport back up to the dismal battle cruiser.

"Of course." Weyoun said, "These Taskers keep very strict schedules. As soon as we identify which one it is, we will merely travel ahead to his next stop."

Maddox closed his eyes. Taskers, schedules, stops…. He didn't know a damn thing about any of it and he didn't care. He just wanted this nightmare over with. He wanted to finally complete his life's purpose, know that he could duplicate a stable positronic matrix, and then…then….

Another brief glance at Weyoun had Maddox's stomach sinking. He had a nasty feeling that his 'nightmare' was just beginning.

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Geordi ran his hands over his hair and sighed heavily. It was the most professional outburst he could manage, and it was pretty good. What he really wanted to do was throw the data pad he held across the room and argue. But it was no use.

"The Captain was pretty clear with his orders." Madden said, "And so was Starfleet Command. It's been almost four days and we're out of time."

Geordi blew a stream of air out and grinded his teeth. He knew Madden was right. Captain Picard had discussed this with everyone before they left, but now it just felt wrong. To leave them there in the Gamma Quadrant to fend for themselves…. Not that the _Enterprise _had been providing much help anyway. They were merely maintaining a cover by continuing to search for their so-called fugitive, but they had reasons to believe that the Dominion wasn't buying the ruse. The fact that a Dominion warship had been watching them from the very edge of sensor range without making a move was enough to suggest they were being placated.

Geordi nodded reluctantly. They were standing in the conference room, the lights still dim as if the room were not in use. Geordi wondered if Madden had considered calling a staff meeting to announce everything, but this one on one meeting made sense. The senior staff was gone. Geordi glanced around the room and felt a pit in his stomach. He was the only one left. The Captain, Worf, Dr. Crusher, Data…they were all out there somewhere. Even Riker and Counselor Troi had moved on, and no doubt Madden would have felt wrong to call a staff meeting of the few lower ranking personnel who had been chosen to fill in during their absence.

He forced the thought away. He was _not _the last one left. Lore and the Captain would be successful, but it still didn't change the fact that Geordi hated being here. He felt like he should have gone with them to find Data and B-4, but the Captain's logic had been sound. There was no telling what kind of bind the _Enterprise _might get into, and if that happened she would need her Chief Engineer.

He looked up and nodded sternly, showing Madden that he understood and accepted the decision. There was no need for recriminations or arguments, for Madden knew how he felt. Geordi liked to think that Madden felt the same way. He didn't know the man very well, but he was fair and professional and seemed to have a good sense of humor, though Lore had never taken to him. It was odd that he should give that any credit. After all, Lore didn't like anyone accept a very select few, and one would have to know Lore pretty well just to realize that he liked them. He certainly didn't show it well, except in the case of Lt. Hall. Still, Lore seemed to have a particular dislike of Madden, and Geordi could guess why.

He had wondered about it himself.

"Commander, you mind if you ask you a personal question?"

Madden raised his eyebrows and shrugged, "Sure."

Geordi drew a breath and nodded several times. He hoped he wasn't stepping over the line here. "Lore was only a few weeks away from transferring Data's neural net into the new android. As I'm sure you know, Data was already assigned to be the new XO before the incident with the Romulans. I guess I'm wondered…what were your plans before all this happened?"

Geordi wasn't sure what reaction he expected, but he guessed it would something like irritation or a little stiffness. He was understandably surprised when Madden laughed and started shaking his head.

"I, eh…I was wondered what the crew thought about that. Tell me if I'm wrong. People think I was planning to stay, maybe get Data's position?" He chuckled again, "I guess that's why Lore always stares daggers at me whenever I'm in the room with him?"

"Eh…." Geordi was a little stunned. He smiled and shook his head in a guilty sort of way, "Not to put too fine a point on it, but…yeah."

Madden laughed again, "I guess I should have said something, then. I hate to think I've been playing the part of silent villain around here and didn't even know it. But, Captain Picard wanted to keep it quiet just to keep Starfleet Command from interfering too much. You know when they 'offer' other positions, it isn't really a request."

Geordi shook his head, "I'm sorry, Sir. I don't think I understand."

"Commander Data _is_ the first officer of the _Enterprise_. There's no question about that." Madden said simply, "And when he's able to retake his post I'll still be here, as the new _second _officer. Needless to say, Starfleet would probably have some objections to that and try to reassign me to an XO position somewhere else, so the Captain told me to keep it under wraps until Data is reinstated."

"Wait a minute." Geordi said, cocking his head, "You mean, you're taking a demotion? Why?"

Madden shook his head in a bemused way, "My assignment before this was first officer of the _Albany_, and cataloguing quasars was about the extent of excitement there. Believe me, I'll be proud to serve under Captain Picard and Commander Data, and I won't consider it a demotion."

Geordi couldn't help but chuckle in response. All this time, the Captain already had it figured out, and was just willing to be that Data knew about it too. He had to give the man credit, though. He could see his logic. First officer aboard a tiny science vessel and second officer of the Federation flagship were at least equal, if not slanted toward the _Enterprise _in fact.

"Well, in that case…." He shrugged, "I'm glad you're staying on board."

Madden nodded, but his amusement took on a bitter quality, "Let's hope Captain Picard and others make it back safely, _with _Data. I don't know how Riker did this job for so many years. Let's just say, I'm looking forward to that con position already."

Geordi made a wry smile as he remembered just a few of the things Data had done for the _Enterprise _in the line of duty over the years. "Be careful what you wish for." He said, "The con position is no walk in the park either."


	15. Realization

**XV.**

"_Oh! Hey! What are you doing?"_

Usually Lin managed to get some enjoyment out of her work. She was no menial laborer. Her skills were the result of intense education at an early age, not to mention the cognitive advancements that had been genetically instilled in her by the Directors. As such, she knew she was good and took pride in it. Sometimes, she would see the expressions on the faces of the outpost managers and lowly collaborators. They were, at times, stunned by what she could do in a small amount of time. Over the years it had made her cocky and superior, well attuned to her special place in the Dominion.

But not today.

She drudged through the narrow lanes at a quick pace and tried to keep the sleet out of her eyes. Despite her extreme exhaustion, moving quickly made everything better. Her head felt like a block of stone and when she moved too slowly or stood still, a kind of faint roar would move over her hearing. She knew that feeling. It always came just before passing out, and moving quickly seemed to keep it at bay, but for how much longer? What if she couldn't make it to the next post without becoming terribly ill?

She noted the time on the small data pad she carried and cursed. She was slightly behind schedule. She had worked as quickly as she could, but considering how cloudy her thinking was…why hadn't Data helped her? The thought rushed to her suddenly and she frowned. He seemed so obliging thus far, and she had made no requests of him, but the first time she needed help, _truly _needed some help….

She shook the thought away. He didn't owe her anything. These assignments were her job, her role, and…and she didn't need his help anyway! She did things by herself. She had _always _done things by herself! Maybe, just maybe, the Directors would be so pleased with receiving Data that they would increase her food ration. That was a possibility. Although, she had done things above and beyond her prescribed duties before, and they had never….

"Lin!" Data called.

She turned into the wind. Data was standing in a small clearing just a few yards off. It was the precise location at which they had beamed down, but she had missed it and was continuing on. Her mind really was muddled now. So much so, that she did not even take notice of the large handled crate at Data's feet.

"Let's go." She said quickly, hugging her jacket around her. She stood next to him and removed the transmitter from her pocket with shaky hands. Just as she pressed the button, she noted that Data was now carrying the crate. She looked at him with a questioned eye and said, "What's that? You can't just bring anything aboard my…."

Her voice faded out into the transporter beam. She felt a sudden rush of relief as her mind was momentarily separated from her senses. It was just a moment, though.

"…ship." She finished as they rematerialized in the confines of her vessel.

Data looked down at the crate and smiled slightly. "I will show you in a moment. We must get under way so that you are not behind schedule."

Lin grumbled, ready to object further, but it didn't matter. Whatever he had was very unlikely to be dangerous or too much trouble. If it was, she would just transport it into space after they were underway. She headed toward the con and began working over the controls with the same nervous speed. As soon as she was done, sleep. Yes, she could do that, and Data was there to wake her in case the alarm didn't work. She knew he would do that, even if he had not wanted to help her with her assignment.

Lin was so busy dedicating what little focus she had on the task at hand, that she did not notice as Data opened the crate and began removing some of its contents to the small table. She felt the minute lurch in the deck plates as they accelerated to warp. She grumbled. She was so damn exhausted that she hadn't bothered to realign the inertial dampeners before setting off. No matter. A little jolt never hurt anyone. She turned around, fully prepared to retrieve her bed things from the storage locker and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep, when she stopped dead in her tracks.

What was this on the table? What were the little boxes inside that crate? And, what was that delicious smell?

"Data…?" She said, starring at the table.

He followed her stare and smiled, "Because I am unfamiliar with your preferred choice of foods, I requested a variety of items."

"Food? How…how did you get this?" The question spilled out as a matter of habit, but damned if she couldn't care less!

"I acquired it through trade." Data replied as he opened one of the boxes. A roasted fowl of some kind topped with slices of an exotic yellow fruit came into view. It was still steaming.

"Tr—traded what?" Lin muttered as she took a step toward the table. It wasn't her usual food ration. The steaming, savory piece of meat was nothing like the little grey bricks she had eaten all of her life.

"I repaired a malfunctioned food replicator for the owner of the bar you sent me to. They were unwilling to pay money for the repair, but since I would have used money to purchase food anyway, it was a convenient circumstance." He picked up the box containing the food—the delicious, steaming food, Lin noted—and held it toward her, "You should eat something immediately."

She reached out and took the box from him. For a moment, she just stared down at the crispy brown concoction and allowed the scent to fill her nose. He…he acquired this for her? He had _worked _to get this for her? Why?

_Of course. _"You didn't have to worry about me." She said, her voice taking on an edge, "I would have gotten you to the Directors as planned. I've gone without eating before."

Data's expression fell, to be replaced with…concern? Hurt? She wasn't sure what she saw there. He shook his head, "Lin, I did not acquire food because I was concerned that you would be unable to take me to the Directors. I did it because I was concerned about you. You are ill and in pain. I do not like it."

_Why? _She almost uttered the word, but stopped herself. She had asked him that question before, when he showed concern over her condition, and what had he said? 'Why would I _not _care?' She had answers for that, and they were answers that had served her all her life. Because taking care of oneself was most important. Because people were inherently untrustworthy. Because no one did anything selflessly.

Wasn't that true?

She dug her fingers into the meat and immediately pulled them back, "Ouch! Damn!" She sucked her fingers and frowned. Her frown only deepened when she saw the restrained amusement on Data's face. He reached into the crate and produced two pieces of metal cutlery.

"I know how to eat!" She snapped, taking the utensils from him. She held the fork and spoon in one hand, the box in the other. For a moment, she shifted her weight and felt foolish. She did _not _know how to eat the way other people did. She could reprogram a class nine surveillance probe in less than an hour, but she had been eating ration bricks with her fingers for as long as she could remember. But, she was intelligent, and she had seen other people do it, so….

She stepped forward and set the box and utensils back on the table. She hesitated before she took a seat on the narrow metal bench. She picked up the fork and held it over the meal, her stomach already doing expectant back flips. Data took the seat opposite her.

"It's—Thank you." Lin muttered, "You didn't have to do this for me."

"No, I did not." Data concurred. When she looked up at him, he smiled, making his meaning once again clear.

She nodded silently and pulled a piece of meat free with the fork. A moment later she experienced just one of the countless thousands of things she had been missing out on her entire life.

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"Oh! It's so sweet it's making my teeth hurt!"

"Really?" Data said, knitted his brow, "Perhaps you should stop eating it."

"No!" Lin cried, grinning. She swiped her finger through the pink, creamy substance again. It had a crust and was edged all around with another fluffy, sugary substance. Data was not certain, but for some reason he wanted to call it a pie. Yes. He remembered that. It was some sort of pie, and the old woman at the bar had absolutely insisted that he take one. In fact, seeing that he was some kind of food novice, the elderly couple had had quite a bit of fun filling up the crate with various items.

"What's this purple thing?" Lin asked, reaching for a smooth skinned fruit in the bottom of the crate.

Data retrieved it for her, "I do not know."

"Oh! That's right." Lin said, giggling slightly, "I keep asking you questions, but you have no memory."

Data tilted his head and gave her a curious look, though it was not without amusement. Lin's cheerful demeanor had become…well…progressively more cheerful since she had woken up and resumed eating and drinking. After finishing her first meal upon their return, Lin had fallen into a still, deep sleep for more than twelve hours. Data had considered waking her, but eventually decided against it. She needed the rest, and he could handle the minor course corrections himself. When she had finally woken, he had instantly noted the improvement in her color.

"Ugh!" Lin sputtered and screwed her face up a moment after taking a bite of the purple fruit. She dropped it into one of the empty food containers, "That tastes terrible!"

"Then I am glad there is only one." Data replied. He could not help but shoot her a slightly amused look, for she was still scowling and wiping the offensive taste from her lips. She reached over the crate and took up the large bottle from which she had been drinking since she woke up. Pouring out another portion into a cup, she drank it down.

"What is the beverage?" Data asked, "The proprietor did not mention it when she included it."

"I don't know." Lin said, shrugging, "I've always consumed water, but it's very good. Fruit based, I believe." She leaned over to set the bottle back in place, but lost her balance slightly and tumbled forward. Data caught the bottle and righted it just as Lin managed to stop her fall with her outstretched arm.

She started giggling profusely, "Oh! Maybe I'm still tired!"

"You slept for more than twelve hours." He said, "Do you feel well?"

"Well? I feel great!" She said, plopping back down into her previous position on the floor. Instead of sitting at the small table, which was currently covered with unopened food boxes, they sat on the deck where Lin's bed things were still laid out. She crossed her legs and reached for her cup again, taking a sip. She hummed to herself in a playful sort of way before resuming her slow dismemberment of the sugary pie.

Despite her insistence that she felt fine—or great—Data remained concerned. She was not acting like herself. Although he had known Lin for a very short time, her current demeanor was nothing like what he had experienced thus far. She was smiling and laughing, sometimes with very little incentive, and she had become progressively more talkative as the hours passed. He was pleased with her good humor, but wondered at its cause.

"Here." Lin said, picking up the purple fruit again, "Try this."

Data looked at the fruit with some surprise, "I should not consume your food, Lin. It would be wasteful. You may need it in the future."

"Oh, I won't be eating _that _no matter how hungry I am. I—." She made a hiccupping sound and smiled, "Here, try it. It's terrible."

"Terrible." Data repeated wryly. It sounded exactly like something he would want to try. He took the fruit and turned it to take a bite from the opposite side. Bitter, sour juices touched his tongue, causing him to still. His brow wrinkled harshly.

"Oh!" Lin devolved into a fit of laughter, appearing to get quite a bit of pleasure from their shared misery.

Data deposited the fruit into the empty box and muttered, "_Schadenfreude." _

"What?"

"It means 'shameful joy.' The state of taking pleasure in another person's discomfort." He relayed the explanation with a sarcastic look, letting her know he was not upset.

She laughed again and appeared ready to say something, but suddenly stopped. She reached out and grabbed his arm, squeezing it, "You remembered something! That's another thing you remembered, right?"

He had almost missed it. The words had left him so naturally that he had not even stopped to consider how he knew what he was saying. He smiled, "Yes, you are right."

"Do you remember anything else?" She said as she brought herself to her feet. She appeared to struggle with the action for a moment, as if her balance was off, before she headed toward the back of the cabin. "Just a moment." She disappeared into the small lavatory

Data looked over the empty food boxes on the floor and removed several of them, stacking them into the bottom of the crate. He was more than a little pleased with the enthusiasm Lin had shown for the various items. Each time she took a bite of something and her cheeks flushed with pleasure, he felt a strange delight in it, as if he were the cause of her happiness. It was not the case, of course. He had merely acquired food, which she needed, and he had not chosen the items. He would not have known what to get. It was the elderly couple at the bar who were owed the thanks.

Still, it was pleasant to watch her smile….

A loud bang filled the room as Lin slid open the lavatory door and came back into the room. She held the wall with one hand as if the floor was moving. She seemed to laugh at this as she walked back toward him.

"Are you ill again?" Data said, his voice edged with worry.

"No. I told you, I feel great." She said, "I just…um…is this the result of eating so much sugar? Maybe this is why the Directors didn't want me to have…eh…normal food. I feel good, but…hmm." She shook her head a few times.

Data looked down at the few empty boxes and half eaten remains. Sugar would definitely not explain her strange behavior. Reaching for the red bottle from which Lin had been drinking, he smelled the contents. It was familiar, incredibly familiar. He ran his finger around the edge and tasted the contents.

_Alcohol, _said a firm voice in his head. _Counselor Troi told me about alcohol when we attended the welcome home banquet for the _Enterprise_. _

Data did not even bother to react negatively to the sudden reappearance of the voice. It was right. He looked up and frowned at Lin.

"This beverage has a high alcohol content. I believe you are intoxicated, Lin."

"Int—oh!" Lin gasped and widened her eyes, "I'm impaired? I—I'll get into trouble!"

Data stood, making certain not to disturb the impromptu picnic arrangement. "There is no reason to be concerned. The effects are temporary and have no lasting effect."

She was quiet for a moment, then covered mouth to suppress a sputtering laugh. She took a step toward him, but then once again seemed to change her mind. She looked up at him as if examining him for something, then said, "I…um…do you want to see something?"

"Alright." He said, taking note of her quick change of topic. He watched her move to the pilot's chair and crouch down behind it. She opened a tiny compartment at the base and removed an even tinier cloth bag. She opened the flap before giving him a conspiratorial smile, and poured the contents into her hand. There were only three items; a piece of decorative glass designed to represent a ringed planet, a small piece of deep blue fabric, and a data chip.

"These are…eh…my things. I'm not supposed to have superfluous things, but…." She looked up sharply, her brow contorted in worry, "You won't report me, will you? When we reach the Directors?"

"No." Data assured her. He almost continued, ready to tell her that his opinion of the Directors had been declining steadily since first learning about them, but he decided to keep the fact to himself. For now. "What are these things?"

She held out her hand proudly, as if the three items were precious heirlooms, "This is a glass Morsae ornament. The Morsae have a history nearly a hundred thousand years old. They had to flee their home planet thousands of years ago due to a supernova. This represents their original home world."

Lin smiled and pressed her hand toward him, urging to take the item. He gingerly lifted the little glass planet, holding it by its rings.

"Hold it up to the light and look through it." She instructed as she stepped closer to him.

He did as she said and peered through the purple and blue center of the orb. The inside swirled and danced in a repeating show of color.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She gushed, hiccupping again.

Data shot her a surprised look. Beautiful? He agreed with her assessment, to be sure, but it was not a sentiment he would have expected from her. It was not the Lin he knew—or had been led to know?

_Who is that? Data? Data! I can hear now! I heard someone say, 'Isn't it beautiful?'_

"Yes, it is." Data agreed, using the words to cover his shock. The voice—what he supposed to be an interface error—was now claiming it could hear? That made no sense, even in relation to a programming error. He forced himself to look at Lin and said, "Where did you get it?"

Her smiled fell almost immediately and she shuffled her feet, "I…well, I took it. It was many years ago and I was young and not so well trained—."

"I am not judging you, Lin." Data interjected, "You do not need to justify yourself to me. I am certain you regret stealing."

She nodded silently, but her alcoholic induced cheerfulness quickly took over once more. She took the glass planet from him and substituted the blue cloth. Data examined the fabric with interest, for it seemed that was what Lin wanted him to do. Still, he was not particularly impressed. It was merely a piece of silk fabric, much like that favored by Counselor Troi in her off hours—

He clenched his fists suddenly and gasped.

"Oh, no! You're wrinkling it!" Lin cried. She reached for his hand and tried to rescue her now crumpled piece of silk, "Let go!"

Bringing himself out of his shock, Data opened his fist and immediately began smoothing the fabric flat again. "I am sorry, Lin." He said, "I was surprised by a resurfaced memory." He continued running his hand over the slip of fabric until it was once again a flat sheet of deep blue.

"What memory?" She said, taking the fabric and running her fingers over the surface.

"A friend of mine, I believe. A woman named Deanna Troi." He replied. It was the most he could say. Images of the woman flitted through his mind, but like the other broken memories he had, they were unconnected and he could not place a cohesive story behind them. Sometimes she wore clothing like the fabric Lin held, but other times she wore a black and blue uniform, such as he had seen in the birthday party memory.

_I miss Counselor Troi. She is my friend._

She is my friend too, Data thought. It shocked him that he would reply in such a way, but he was sure to make no physical reaction this time. The voice was just his own subconscious, he had already determined that. He should not be talking to himself.

He turned back to Lin, "The fabric is…a very attractive color." Data said, giving her an encouraging look. It clearly meant something to her, and she was proud to show it to him. He did not want her to feel disappointed.

"Isn't it?" She said, smiling again. She ran her fingers over the fabric once more, "I…I had an assignment on a commercial space station once, and there was a tailor's shop where a woman was making the most beautiful garment. Pieces of this fabric were all over the floor, and I just…wanted…." Lin stopped and stepped closer to Data, "Are you alright?"

Data faced her once more, unaware that he had been staring off. Something wasn't right. He had dismissed the voice before, _wanted _to dismiss it because he was concerned at what the Directors might think. But, recent events having lessened his opinion of these so-called Directors, he was not so apt to turn away now. He simply could not think of any reason why his subconscious would form an interface program that spoke in the _third person. _

…_she wanted a piece of the fabric because it is beautiful. People like looking at beautiful things. _

Yes, they do; Data agreed. He lifted his eyes to Lin again, sure to look undisturbed, "The fabric is very beautiful."

She nodded her agreement and began folding it back into a neat square. She looked sheepish all of sudden, as if unsure of something. She tucked the fabric and the little glass planet back into the cloth bag, but held up the data chip. "This is what I wanted to show you."

She motioned for him to wait as she took the chip back to the control console and opened a small panel to insert it. She shot him another conspiratorial look, as if she was doing something really bad.

"What is it?" Data asked. He was still focused on his newfound considerations of the voice, but he did not want to appear distracted.

"It's something I traded for, a long time ago." She grinned, "See? I can barter too. Some of those merchants, the ones with the big ears from the other side of the galaxy, they were showcasing cultural items from their quadrant and one of the things they displayed, I…." Here, she swallowed hard, "I…just had to have it. I told the merchant I would ignore his numerous trading violations if he would give it to me."

Data looked away, frowning and yet amused at the same time. Blackmail was not exactly bartering. "I see, but what is it?"

She stood up, a broad smile on her flushed face, and said, "Music! All kinds! There are ninety-seven different audio files, supposedly from four different cultures in that quadrant. I don't know them, the chip didn't come with any information."

_Data, who are you with? She sounds excited. Is she your friend? _

Her name is Lin. She is helping me because I—stop talking to me!

Data looked away swiftly, as if he were somehow looking away from the voice.

"Some of the music is very strange and I don't care for it very much. It just sounds like noise, but some of the files are very…." She seemed to check her enthusiasm, and continued in a more subdued voice, "Very interesting."

_I like music. Data, why do you want me to stop talking to you? Please do not ignore me. _

Data closed his eyes briefly. He was not overwhelmed, for listening to Lin and this…voice…at once was an elementary task for him, but he was distracted by fresh concern. If this voice was not an interface error, what was it? Or—and this is what truly startled him—_who_ was it?

"Data?" Lin said, blinking up at him. The flush in her cheeks and her smile still told the story of the consumed bottle of wine, "Listen. This one is a little strange, but I like it. I don't understand all of the words, but it's…well, just listen." She pressed a few controls on the console and a moment later a scratchy sound filled the cabin. It was only a few seconds before a strumming instrument came in, followed by tinny, distant lyrics.

"_..beep-beep. Beep! Lookin' for you, baby, searchin' all the world around! Beep-beep. Beep!" *_

Data shot Lin a wide, amused look.

"Strange, isn't it?" She agreed, grinning. "I've listened to it a hundred times, but there are elements in the lyrics that I just don't understand."

"…_jumped on Sputnik, didn't know I was spaceward bound. Beep-beep. Beep!" _

"I know this." Data muttered suddenly, looking at the floor.

"What?" Lin said, distracted and she moved slightly to the music. She wasn't really dancing, and Data suspected she wasn't even aware of her motions.

Memory is a strange thing, triggered by the most innocuous and unexpected things. The music, the lyrics, combined with Lin's semi-intoxicated weavings, all combined to inform Data that he absolutely knew this music. There was no question. The same man from the birthday party, the tall one with the dark facial hair, had accompanied this music on a trombone. Yes. There had been many people there, celebrating something, and there had been much laughter when the song started and the man began to play, grinning.

"…_flyin' so fast, just rippin' through night and day!" _

Smiling at his newfound memory, and the delight of its clarity, he suddenly stepped forward and took Lin's hand, twirling her around in place in a practiced motion.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Lin gasped, grabbing his other arm to keep from falling over.

"Dancing." He said brightly "I know this music. I remember it. And I remember dancing to it in a particular fashion."

"You _dance_?" She said, her jaw falling open, "That isn't a useful occupation. Why would the Directors program you to dance?"

He should have been insulted, he supposed, but be was not. Instead, he shrugged, and replied, "Did the Directors intend for you to get enjoyment out of music? Or food?"

She opened her mouth again, but quickly snapped it shut, somewhat peeved. He took the opportunity to raise her hand to shoulder height and place his other hand on her waist. It was the proper position for this particular form of dancing, he knew, so he was a little confused with the spastic reaction that followed.

"Oh! Hey! What are you doing?" Lin gasped as she pulled her hand free and stepped away from him. Her cheeks were even more flushed than before, and she had her eyes firmly fixed on his hands as if making sure of their location.

_Data, I think Lin is mad. What does Lin look like? _

Data ignored the voice and focused on Lin, "I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you. I merely wanted to show you what I remember."

"I—oh." Lin muttered. She rubbed her arm in a awkward sort of way, yet another characteristic that Data attributed to the alcohol. Thus far, Lin had shown herself to be nothing if not self confident. She looked up as if re-acknowledging the music that was still playing, "Eh…alright. I have very good coordination. I'm sure I can do this dance thing easily enough."

Data smiled, perhaps more broadly than he meant to, but it was obvious that she was trying to please him for some reason, and that was quite a change from her previous demeanor. Lin turned around and pressed a control on the console. The music paused then restarted with the same antique, scratchy sound.

Data raised his hands and indicated for her step closer.

"What are the steps?" Lin said, "I can just copy your foot movements."

He shook his head, "It does not work that way. The kind of dancing appropriate to this music is rather unstructured. There…are no particular steps." With that, he took her hand and lifted it above her head. He slowly turned her until she got the idea and moved along, finished a single twirl.

Lin laughed and nearly fell forward, "_This _is dancing? This is easy!"

Data twirled her around again as they both moved around is a modified box step.

_Data, do you remember this music? Is that why you are dancing? I do not know how to dance. _

That was it. There was no question now. There was no possible way that a subconscious interface could _not _know something that Data knew, and it certainly would not lie. Despite the sudden, startling realization, Data's expression and movements did not falter. He continued to twirl Lin around, enjoying the increased ease of her smile and the way she laughed each time she almost lost her balance.

_Data? Can you hear me? _

Yes, I can hear you; Data thought, reluctantly. He smiled at Lin and told her he too did not understand the lyrics she asked about, before he turned his attention back to the voice.

_I know you do not remember, Data. I do not know how it happened, but it is not your fault. I will try to help you remember things. _

Data nodded imperceptibly and thought, Thank you, but who are you?

Lin covered her mouth and laughed as the short song came to an end. She shook her head and rubbed her face, giving every impression that she was shocked with herself. Delighted, but shocked.

"I like the next piece of music too, but it's very different." Lin announced. She pointed up as if the indicate the music while she crossed the room and retrieved the wine bottle again. Data gave her a curious look, to which she replied with a shrug, "I might as well finish the little bit that is left."

_I am B-4! _The voice was insistent, happy even. _I am your brother! _

"Brother…." Data gasped aloud.

"What?" Lin said, raising her voice over the fast piano piece that filled the room.

He dismissed it with a look and made as if to check the console display.

You are my brother? Data thought. How is that possible?

_I do not understand the question. What do you mean by 'possible'? _

Data shook his head, dismissing the question. He did not know what to ask. He did not know what to think.

"Data?"

He turned. Lin had retaken her seat on the floor and was twisting the wine bottle in her hands. A reluctant sort of smile crossed her lips and she said, "I…thank you, Data. For the food and…for taking care of the course corrections while I slept. I…I'm not used to having help."

"I am glad to help you, Lin." Data said at once, "You are helping me, after all."

She nodded and turned her eyes to one of the empty food boxes.

Data turned his attention inward. There were so many questions, but one was paramount, the only one more important than knowing who the voice was.

You are my brother, Data thought, but why are you in my head?

There was a very long pause, and for a moment Data worried that the voice would not reply. His worry did not last.

_I am not inside your head, _B-4 replied. _You are in mine._

_))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))_

_*"Beep Beep" By, Bobby Day, 1957._


	16. Damnit, Data!

**XVI.**

"_Nineteen."_

"Damn!" Blake muttered, throwing up his hands, "If they would just stay in one place for a day!"

Lore rolled his eyes, but he had to agree with Blake's sentiment. Here they were on yet another planet, and yet again it was clear that they had missed Data and his nameless companion by at least a day. This planet-hopping chase was quickly becoming infuriating, and had he not caved in to majority pressure they would have simply continued on, since they had already detected the same warp trail on a course away from the planet. It was Picard who had insisted they try to get new information.

Picard gave Blake a withering look, which led the Ensign to calm himself. Picard returned his attention to the elderly woman before them.

"So, you have no idea where they went?" He asked, his voice calm and friendly.

The old woman shook her head emphatically, "No, sorry. _He _didn't even know where he was going. Such a nice man too. Friendly and polite and so concerned about his little friend." She scowled suddenly and jutted her chin in Lore's direction, "Not like his twin here."

Lore balked and gave the woman a dirty look. So he had been a bit demanding when they came looking for information. So what? He didn't have time to waste being congenial. He leaned against the bar and gave the woman a sarcastic smirk.

"Whatever do you mean? I _pride _myself on being friendly."

She gave a distasteful harrumph and continued drying off the already dry glass in her hands.

Picard took a deep breath and continued, "Forgive me, but how do you know he didn't know where he was going?"

"Because he said so." The old woman replied matter-of-factly, "Oh, we talked quite a bit, though he kept telling me he didn't remember things, which I thought was odd. I said, 'So where are you from?', and he said, 'I am sorry, I do not know. I cannot remember.'" The old woman chuckled as she mimicked Data's deeper voice and even manner of speaking. She continued, "Anyway, I asked him where he was off to and he said he didn't know because his friend hadn't told him yet, or some such thing."

Picard and Lore exchanged confused, yet encouraged looks. Perhaps Picard's decision to stop for information had been worthwhile, though Lore would hardly admit it openly. It made sense that B-4 wouldn't be able to remember what had happened while he was under the control of the tracking device, but why would he not know where he was from? Unless he had been purposely withholding information from the old woman, but B-4 never lied unless he was instructed to do so.

Lore looked up, "Can you tell us about his friend?"

The old woman gave Lore another dirty look. It reminded him that diplomacy was never going to be his particular field. Eventually she said, "Just what he talked about. I never saw her because she was busy doing some job, fixing something for…." She looked around for a moment and continued in a whisper, "something for the Dominion. As I said before, he was so polite and conversational. Talked to me the whole time he was fixing the replicator."

"Fixing the replicator?" Lore balked. Couldn't he just get a concise explanation of what happened, instead of this piecemeal manner of getting information? "Why was B-4 fixing your replicator?"

"For the food, of course." The woman said with a shrug.

_Argh! _Lore tossed up his hands and was ready to engage in another _impolite _demand for information, but Picard grabbed his arm.

"He wanted food?" Picard asked, keeping the curiosity to a low level. It was obvious the woman had no idea that B-4 was an android, and there really was no reason to enlighten her now.

"Yes. You see, finances have been a little tight around her recently, and me and my husband couldn't afford to pay someone to repair the food replicator. Well! Here comes your friend, offering to fix it right up in exchange for some replicated food! How could I pass up an offer like that?" She smiled happily and picked up another glass. It was good that both Picard and Lore resisted the urge to ask another question, because the woman just kept talking, "You see, he was getting the food for his friend, he said. I got the impression that they must have been in a bad way. Hungry, you know? Though, he looked fit and healthy enough. I suppose you're looking for him because he's ill? All that 'I do not remember' talk was certainly unusual. Poor thing must have hit his head or something."

Lore stifled a laugh.

Picard nodded his agreement, "Yes, that's why we're concerned about B-4. We need to find him before he gets hurt."

The woman nodded, but then stopped suddenly. She frowned, "Who is _Beefor?_ You said that just a moment ago too. Your friend told me his name was Data."

"Data!" Lore cried suddenly, "You're sure about that? He _said _his name was Data?"

The old woman gasped, taken aback by Lore's sudden outburst, but Lore didn't care. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it! Deactivating the homing device…memory loss…and now it was possible that Data was in control rather than B-4. He had considered this possibility as soon as they realized that B-4 and Data were no longer following the homing device, but he had dismissed the possibility because…because Data would never do something like that!

Would he?

"Damnit, Data!" He seethed.

"Thank you for the information, Ma'am." Picard said, shooting an irritated glare in Lore's direction.

The old woman responded with a curt nod as she continued to stare at Lore, outraged. Eventually, Lore felt a jab in his back and realized it was Picard urging him to move. He was so distracted with the possibilities running through his mind that he didn't even object. He walked, feeling somewhat numb, toward the exit. It was just lucky that no one stepped in his way, otherwise he would have plowed right through them. As soon they emerged into daylight, cold and windy, Picard turned to him.

"What is it?" He demanded.

Lore shook his head, "Nothing."

"Damnit, Lore. You've figured something out and I want to hear it. We know that Data is in control now, and that means something to you."

Before Lore could reply, Anna and Worf approached from the establishment just across the way. Worf was stone faced, but Anna had the clear look of disappointment, indicating that they had learned nothing. Lore saw her and immediately drew in some of his anger, but it didn't help. She could always tell when something was bothering him.

"What did you learn?" She asked as she came to stand beside him.

Lore clenched his jaw before replying. He was ready with nothing but curses for Data, but had to remind himself that he didn't know everything. Finally, he said, "I think I know how they were able to break the control of the homing device. Actually, how _Data _was able to do it. He…he initiated a synaptic break."

Anna cringed, for she had been working with Lore enough over the past four months to learn quite a bit about android systems. Picard and Worf exchanged worried, though confused, glances.

"He scrambled his memories!" Lore snapped, no longer able to contain it. "He disengaged all of the links that _form _memory, and it could have effected B-4 too."

Picard's face became cold suddenly, the implications of what Lore was saying sinking in, "Are you saying his memory is gone?"

"No." Lore sighed, "If he was able to tell the bartender his name, it at least means that some of his most prominent memories are reforming, but…. It's possible that the pattern for the synaptic layouts was lost when he did this. If that's the case, B-4 could be lost permanently." He clenched his fists suddenly, anger radiating through him, "I'll kill Data for this!"

"Lore, I count myself an educated man, but you're going to have to clarify what you're talking about." Picard deadpanned, "_What _is happening here?"

Lore turned away, unable or unwilling to answer. What if B-4 was gone? What if Data had destroyed him in order to save himself? Logically, he knew he could not blame him. They would have both died if they had reached Maddox, but…it didn't change the way he _felt_. His brother might be gone, and his other brother might be the cause.

_No, no, no…._

"Captain." Anna said, stepping in front of Lore, "A synaptic break, it's…it's sort of like taking all the screws out of a book shelf. All the parts are still there, but there's no way to hold it together anymore. But…." She looked at Lore again, "Why are we talking about this? What happened?"

Lore explained as quickly as he could, relaying the old woman's words in a list-like fashion. It all came down to two main points: Data was in control, and he had lost most, if not all, of his memory. There were very few explanation that would fit that. Hell! There was only one explanation, and Lore had already reached it!

"So, what about B-4?" Anna asked, squinted against the wind and bright sun.

Lore shook his head, "If Data did initiate a synaptic break, it could have wiped out B-4's pattern memory. His memory files would still be there, but there would never be any way to reassert them in any cohesive manner. He would…he would be gone, essentially."

"But you don't know that." Anna pressed.

Lore met her eyes and almost smiled. It was obvious that she was trying to turn his train of thought, make him think more positively. He nodded his agreement, though reluctantly. Silver linings were just not something Lore usually ascribed to. "No, I can't be sure." He said, "This has never happened before, and there's no way to be certain. In fact, there's a possibility that it would only have affected Data. B-4's memory patterns could have been suppressed while Data's attempt to reassert themselves…." He turned away, fading out. He was talking more to himself now.

Picard nodded solemnly, no doubt giving much thought to the same morbid possibilities. Would Data have destroyed B-4 in order to save himself? It wasn't a fair question, seeing how they both faced destruction at Bruce Maddox's hands. Data was a caring, ethical person, but he was also logical.

"There's something else, though." Lore said, "I think we can safely assume that the person Data is with isn't working for Maddox."

"But she is working for the Dominion." Worf said gruffly, "She is a Tasker."

"Yes." Picard mused. He frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I think Lore is right. If this Tasker knew who Data was she wouldn't be taking him along to all of these stops, which appear to be just scheduled maintenance endeavors. I think what we're looking at here is an accidental…falling together."

"But if she works for the Dominion, it's only a matter of time before they realize what's going on, or they run into them just by chance." Blake said. He had been standing to the side the whole time, so quiet that Lore had nearly forgotten he was there. He made eye contact with the man and, quite to Lore's irritation, Blake glanced at Anna and back to Lore again. He smirked.

_Not now, Blake. _Lore's glare spoke the words with perfect clarity. Leave it to someone like Blake to spare time for personal business when they had more than enough trouble dealing with B-4 and Data!

"Then let's find them before this Tasker runs into her handlers 'by chance.'" Lore snorted.

They were already walking down the narrow lane, on their way to the transport site, when Lore noticed something from the corner of his eye. It was nothing that should have concerned him. The place seemed to be filled with sneaky, paranoid looking people, but Lore knew he had seen this same sneaky face inside the bar, and at the merchant shop they had visited before that.

Lore increased his pace until he was just inches from bumping into Picard. With a practiced look of nonchalance, he allowed his foot to come down on the back of Picard's heel.

The Captain stumbled in his steps and turned an irritated look over his shoulder.

"We're being followed." Lore said, barely moving his lips.

Without missing a beat, Picard faced forward again and continued walking. Lore took note of the meaningful glance from Worf. As they turned the next corner, Lore squeezed Anna's hand and whispered, "Keep walking."

With that, he stepped out of the lane and into the stark shadow of a doorway. As he expected, the others continued on while giving no sign that anything was amiss. Lore was suddenly very aware of the phaser tucked into his pocket, but he ignored it. It wasn't as if he needed it.

A moment later, Lore observed a tall skinny man slinking his way around the last corner. He was the same race as the old couple in the bar, but he wore a uniform indicating that he was associated with the local mining operation. He moved along, keeping close to the wall in the most conspicuous way imaginable. Lore almost laughed out loud. It was obvious that this was no professional spy. He was acting like a hammy villain from one of Mrs. Hall's comic holonovels. To further his clownish persona, the man did not even look in Lore's direction, as if a pitch black alley didn't warrant a look, and passed by. As soon as Lore saw the man's back, he moved.

Lore whistled just as he pressed his hand over the man's mouth and put an arm around his chest, jerking him back into the alley. The man struggled fiercely, trying to turn around, but it was to no avail.

"Keep struggling and I'll cut off your air supply." Lore said casually. Lore sighed as the man continued to struggle. Some people just didn't listen….

The light from the main path was blocked as Picard and the others appeared, having doubled back once they heard Lore's signal. The man went perfectly still, suddenly finding himself surrounded by a wall of unfriendly faces.

Worf removed his phaser and Lore was pretty certain it was safe to remove his hand from over the man's mouth.

"Wha…?" The man stuttered instantly.

"Who are you and why are you following us?" Picard demanded.

"I…I wasn't." The man said.

"Try again." Lore said ominously, "I saw you at the entrance to the mine, and in the bar only a few minutes later."

"Do you work for the Dominion?" Picard pressed.

"What? No!" The man cried. His face turned into a sudden scowl of disgust, "I would never work for those bastards! Not like the one you're looking for."

Lore exchanged a glance with Picard, then said, "Who are we looking for?"

"The Romulan woman, right?" The man said. He should his arm as if to dislodge it from Lore's grip, but all he accomplished was a wincing pain. He continued, "I heard you asking about that fellow who was with her. White skin, gold eyes, and then I saw _you._" He shot a glance at Lore, "I figured that was just your cover, that you're really looking for her."

"Why would you think that?" Picard said.

"I'm no fool. You can't just go around asking about Taskers. The Dominion would get wind of it through one of their collaborators, but looking for someone she's with…that's a way to do it. You've come to rescue her, right? Take her back?"

Lore rolled his eyes. _It's the old woman all over again…._ "Why would we be interested in her? Talk!"

"Why?" The man scoffed, looking at each of them in turn, "She's a Romulan, that's why. She's been coming here for years, every five months like clockwork to make sure the Dominion gets their damned dilithium shipment. The first time I saw her I knew I had seen her race before, so I looked it up, and sure enough. Romulan, an Alpha Quadrant species! And you! You're human! And…and you're Klingon! All from the Alpha Quadrant. So…aren't you here to rescue her from the Dominion?"

Lore released the man's arm and replied before Picard got a chance, "What if we are?"

The man snorted suddenly, shaking his head, "If you are, I say good luck with that. She's brainwashed. She has no idea."

Lore considered for but a moment. The concept of a Romulan being a slave of the Dominion was something that had struck all of them, but they had simply relegated it to the back of their thoughts since they had other concerns. But, this made sense. It made perfect sense.

"She doesn't know she's a Romulan, does she?" Lore said. He released the man's arm.

"No." He muttered, rubbing his bicep miserably, "I'm the loading dock manager at the mine. I have to deal with her every times she shows up, and when I figured out what she was I started dropping hints. I would mention things I had learned about Romulans, subtly. Their ceremonies, foods they ate, that sort of thing. She never showed any recognition, nothing. I'm telling you, she's as brainwashed as any Vorta. All that 'glory of the Founders' nonsense, believing they were genetically engineered from scratch by those shape-shifting freaks. She thinks she's some special creation of the Founders, or the Vorta."

"Why do you care? Why so much interest?" Anna said suddenly, "If she has no idea she's even a Romulan, I have to think people don't talk to her."

"They don't. Gods! You don't talk to Taskers!" The man shook his head vehemently, "You ever heard of a slave just traveling around alone, that has her own ship? The Dominion doesn't control their people with chains, they do it with their minds. I…I guess I felt sorry for her, a little…."

"What do you know about the man who was with her?" Lore asked.

He shrugged, "Except that he looked exactly like you, nothing. Never seen him before."

"Did she say anything to you about where they were going or what they were doing?"

"She's not exactly talkative, but this time it was even worse. I didn't have her ration shipment like I usually do because it never showed up. She looked ill, probably because she hadn't eaten in a while." He looked away with disgust, "Dominion bastards…."

Everyone's tension dropped by several degrees as they each found their own reasons for believing the man. Lore wasn't so easy and found himself wishing that Troi was with them. She would be able to give confirmation of the man's honestly.

The man sighed heavily and said, "Look, I…I'm sorry I was following you. I was just curious. That's all. You don't watch someone for eight years and not be curious the first time someone comes looking for her."

Picard nodded once and made a few steps back. It was the silent indication that their interrogation was over. Somehow, the idea of warning the man not to tell anyone about them seemed mute. He was obviously no fan of the Dominion or their 'collaborators.' The man backed further into the alley, no doubt planning to wait there until they left, when Lore suddenly turned toward him again. He never seemed to go out of his way for 'unimportant information', as he so often called it, and so far that character trait had caused him nothing but grief. Not this time.

"What is her name? The Romulan?"

"What?" The man stuttered, "Oh. Eh…L'Nera."

"L'Nera." Lore repeated. The form of the name was somewhat Romulan, but he couldn't be sure. A derisive snort filled the air, and Lore turned to see it had come from Worf.

Worf crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head, "Nineteen." He said, "L'Nera is Dominionese for the number nineteen."

The man they had just interrogated screwed up his face into an angry scowl and looked away, muttering, "Figures…heartless tyrants…." The man turned suddenly and headed away from them down the alley, no doubt anxious to get away from Lore as quickly as possible.

"This is getting weirder and weirder." Blake murmered, "How would a Romulan not know she's a Romulan? Did they kidnap her when she was a baby or something?"

Lore ignored the question. They weren't here to rescue Romulans, and especially not Romulans working for the Dominion. They would deal with her, if they had to, when and if that moment came. He moved away from the alley with the others, the wind suddenly assaulting their ears once more. Lore reached to his side and took Anna's hand, rubbing his thumb slowly over the back. The act made him feel better, especially when he knew she was in danger. A part of him still wished she had remained aboard the Enterprise, which was no doubt safely back in the Alpha Quadrant now.

Anna smiled at him, a purposeful show of encouragement, as they continued on. As they rounded the corner toward the transport site, Anna leaned in close to Lore and whispered.

"Not to ignore our more pressing issues, but here's something funny. Blake has been calling me Annabelle all day and I can't figure out why."

A few choice expletives came to mind, but Lore kept his mouth shut. Instead, he made his next step rather long and brought his foot down squarely on the back of Blake's heel.

"Hey, man!" Blake objected as he stumbled forward into the Captain.

Lore shot him a deadly smirk, "Sorry."


	17. Selfishness

**XVII.**

"_What's wrong with you?"_

"Who are the Directors? Have you heard of them?"

_A director is a person who directs things, or people. I think Captain Picard is a 'director'. _

Data sighed and looked off into the distance. "That is not very helpful. I know what the word 'director' means." Data thought the words entirely, giving no outward indication of the inner dialogue. "And I do not know who Captain Picard is."

_He is our Captain. _

"Captain of what?"

_The Enterprise. _

"What is the Enterprise?"

_A Starship. _

"A starship where?"

_Many different places. The Enterprise goes to many different places. _

Data frowned. This was proving to be very frustrating. The voice in his head—or rather, the _person—_was surprisingly simplistic and even childlike, although Data had no memory of having contact with any child ever. Still, it seemed an appropriate description. B-4, as he had identified himself, appeared to have a real difficulty with volunteering information. Or better yet, volunteering _useful _information. He had already talked at length about an arboretum of some kind and their so-called brother Lore, who B-4 insisted would be looking for them. He expressed worry and fear repeatedly, almost to the point of being obsessed. The only solid information Data had managed to gain was when he had asked him about his bold statement the day before.

_I am not inside your head. You are inside mine. _That was what he had said, and it had stunned Data. In fact, it had frightened him. After a very long and trying back and forth, Data had managed to deduce that the body he currently…occupied?...was not his own, but the prior property of his brother B-4. It was when he asked why he did not have his own body that B-4 had become quite emotional and reluctant to answer. Eventually he had replied; Data had been killed in an explosion.

Even now the concept truly disturbed him. He had…died? And yet he was alive now? He would have to ask more questions on the topic, but it seemed more important to find out information about his current situation.

"Are you alright?"

Data turned to face Lin, who had been walking next to him the entire time. She was bundled up in so many thermal layers that her face had been reduced to a little circle. The planet they were currently on was terribly inhospitable and the air temperature was well below freezing.

"Yes." He said, somewhat nervously, "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're staring off in a distracted way and your facial expression keeps changing for no reason." She said flatly.

"I am thinking." He replied, not wishing to elaborate, "I believe, however, that I should be asking that question of you. Are you still ill?"

"Yes!" She snapped, raising her hand to her head again. She groaned loudly, "I feel too much pressure in my head."

_Lin is 'hung over'. _B-4 said with much amusement. _Blake told me about 'hung over'. _

Data resisted the urge to ask who Blake was and focused on Lin instead. "I did tell you to stop drinking once we realized the beverage was an intoxicant."

"Tell me again. Maybe that'll make my head stop throbbing!" She said with a scowl. The act seemed to only illicit more head pain, as she faltered in her steps and pressed her hand over her eyes.

Despite her snappish manner, Data could not help but smile a bit. It was probably the comparison between the way she was now and the way she had been before. Alcohol certainly had an impressive effect on how people behaved! He wondered which 'version' of Lin was closer to the truth; the excited laughing woman from the day before, or the closed and somber woman before him now. He had a suspicion that it was a combination of the two.

"Oh." Lin stopped and turned toward the building next to them, placing her hand on the wall.

Data immediately reached for her, fearing that she was about to collapse, but she waved him away with one hand while she covered her mouth with the other.

"I am sorry, Lin." Data said at once, "I did not mean to do anything to cause you pain."

"What?" She gasped, swallowing hard, "How is this your fault?"

"I did give you the wine. I should have asked about it before taking it." He replied sadly. He really was sorry for her current predicament. He had no idea what pain was like but he did not need a very good imagination to know that it was incredibly unpleasant.

Lin shook her head and looked at him with a mix of irritation and confusion, "That's ridiculous. People drink alcohol all the time. The only reason I'm ill is because I've never had it before and I had too much."

He wasn't sure why, but her refusal of his guilt only seemed to make him feel worse. Was she just trying to be nice?

_No. She is right. _

"Be quiet."

"What?" Lin said, narrowing her eyes.

Data's eyes widened at his mistake. "I mean, you should stop talking. It will probably make your head feel better."

"Mmm." She covered her mouth again as if she were about to be sick, but it didn't happen. She recovered and moved back into the snow slicked path. "We have to go. I can't fall behind schedule."

Data nodded, "What are we doing?"

"There's a data terminal about twenty yards ahead. The people here think it's a basic uplink for the satellites in orbit, but it's really a covert communications monitor. I have to upload all the information, wipe it, and then transmit the information when we get back to my ship."

Data frowned but decided to reserve his ethical qualms for later. He was much more concerned with her at the moment. In fact, he was a bit surprised by just how concerned he was. Though, he supposed that could just be his way. He had no idea.

_Data, are you not going to ask me any more questions? _

"Not right now. I must help Lin." Data thought in reply.

_Okay. _B-4's disappointment was obvious. _I will go away for now. _

Data paused, "You can 'go away'?"

_Yes. I can dream. Lore gave me the dream program, but you do not remember that because you cannot remember things now. Lore said, "Here, Bee. Now you can spend nights dreaming instead of bothering me." And when I asked him how I was bothering him, he said, "If you wake Anna up one more time by coming to our quarters in the middle of the night, I'm going to k—_

"I can listen to you while we work, but I would prefer to focus now." Data said, cutting him off. "I will speak to you again later."

_Do you promise? You will not ignore me again? _

"I promise."

_I did not like being ignored. _

"I know. I am sorry. I have many more questions for you, but later. I am…confused about many things."

_Okay. I will dream now. _

Data waited to see if he would hear anything more, but B-4 was gone. It was more than simply not hearing him. In the past many hours, he had come to recognize a strange kind of _awareness _of B-4 that went beyond hearing him. It was distinctly absent now.

He turned to Lin, "I will do the work for you."

"What? You can't." She said at once.

"Of course I can." He stopped before her, "You do not feel well."

"I made it sound easy, but it isn't. There are more than forty command lines that need to be set up every time in order for the information to upload. It's a security measure." She waved her hand, "And then you have to enter codes in another hidden panel over there to finalize everything."

Data could not help but raise an eyebrow at her in a very meaningful way. He knew practically nothing about his past, but he at least knew _what _he was. The very notion that this computer task was somehow beyond him was…insulting.

"Oh." Lin said finally. She looked at her shoes and smiled briefly. At least, Data thought he saw a smile. When she looked up, she said, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes. If you want to do it, that's fine." She reached into her pocket and removed a small data pad and chip. "Here's a blank chip for the upload and the data pad has all the codes you'll need. I'll stay with the other panel and enter the finalizing codes so you won't have to walk back and forth."

He nodded and turned to go in the direction she had indicated. The sooner he completed their task, the sooner Lin could return to the relative warmth and comfort of her ship. After she slept a little more, perhaps she would play more of the music she had and they could even dance again….

He was not sure why that thought was so appealing.

"Data?"

He turned to face her again, having only made it a few steps. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

It was an appropriate enough statement, but something about the way she said it gave it a much more profound meaning. That and the fact that she faced him with her shoulders braced and her head held high, as if she had done some monumental thing and was awaiting the fallout.

"You are welcome, Lin." He replied. "It is no trouble for me."

"It wouldn't be any trouble for you to not help me either." She muttered, but Data heard every word. She kicked at the snow drift next to her. "I'll stay here next to the panel and wait for your signal. Just send two clicks over the communicator."

Data frowned, not quite understanding why she was staring at her shoes in such a purposeful way. Deciding that it was probably related to her 'hang over', he nodded and moved off in the direction of the communications monitor hidden deep in the wet pack snow.

(*)

Lin shivered as she leaned against the wall near the access panel and tried to look inconspicuous. As with most of the placed to which she journeyed, this settlement always had its fair share of drunks, criminals, and generally miserable souls. A single woman standing alone next to a wall would garner little if any attention.

Especially since she really was ill from too much drink.

Oh, how could she have let something like that happen! She had always turned her nose up at the sub-species she always encountered on the various outposts, laughing and shouting and consuming alcohol until they were red in the face. And here she was, no better off. Still, a large part of her could not bring herself to regret it. Her memories of last night were clear enough and she knew just how much fun she had had. In fact, could she ever remember having fun at all before last night? Fun?

She honestly wasn't sure, and that depressed her to no end.

She held out her gloved hand and watched the falling snow accumulate in her palm. It was so cold outside that the individual flakes did not even melt as they clung to the oil skin surface. She reached into her pocket and removed an empty water ration bag. She unscrewed the plastic mouthpiece and began the slow operation of stuffing snow through the little opening. She had done this before, many times. Even the water she drank was provided in precise ration amounts by the Directors, but it was never enough. She could force herself to eat less, but she could never tolerate being thirsty.

Her lips twisted up into a guilty smile as she remembered the second bottle of wine still lying in the bottom of the food crate back aboard her ship. She wouldn't drink so very much this time, though. She had learned her lesson about that! In fact, if she added some snow water to dilute it and make it last longer she would. Of course, it wouldn't last forever, and the food would soon be gone as well. Perhaps, possibly, Data could get more and—

_He will be gone too. _

The thought struck her suddenly, forcing the breath from her lungs. Yes. Data would be gone soon. When they reached the Directors and she handed him over, he would just…be gone. She wouldn't even know what was to happen to him or where he would go, since it was not her place to ask questions and the Directors never volunteered information to Taskers. She would never see him again and…and everything would go back to the way it was.

Exactly the way it was.

She felt a wave of sickness rise in her throat, and was sure it had nothing to do with too much wine.

"Good!" She shouted suddenly, shaking her head and causing the pain to intensify. He was nothing but trouble! Look at how he had interfered thus far. Causing her ship to crash, nearly putting her behind schedule, and…and getting her drunk! She didn't need any of this. She was a top level engineering Tasker. She had responsibilities, duties, and they did not include dancing or eating sugary foods!

She would be just fine going back to the way things were. She didn't need anyone to watch the console while she slept. She slept too much anyway. She didn't need anyone to get food for her when she was hungry. She was hungry because she was weak and ate more than her Directors wanted her to. And she certainly didn't need anyone to talk to or keep her company. Talking was a waste of time and distracted people from their tasks and….

…_and I don't have to take him to the Directors. _

It was amazing how quickly a thought, once suddenly realized, could take the weight from someone's shoulders. It was true. She didn't _have _to take Data to the Directors. They didn't even know he was with her. For all she knew, they weren't aware of his existence! She had simply assumed everything. The Founders were the source of all amazing things, and the Directors did the Founders' bidding, so it had simply stood to reason that she someone like Data would be a product of theirs'. But…it might not be true.

She continued stuffing snow in the bottle mouth until the bag was completely full. She screwed the cap back on and set the now freezing bag on the ground at her feet. Her analytical mind was suddenly etching possibilities left and right, each one more pleasing than the last.

Data could simply stay with her. He had expressed no dislike of traveling with her. In fact, she had noticed a mark look of discomfort whenever she mentioned the Directors, as if he no longer looked forward to meeting them. All the better! He could stay and then she would always have someone to talk to, and the Directors would never find out because Data consumed no resources and with his occasional help she would never have to worry about falling behind schedule. Of course, she couldn't be sure of how he would react to her idea. Perhaps if she just put off meeting the Directors, if she made excuses for a while then he might—.

"Excuse me."

Lin looked up sharply. She had not even noticed the person who stood before her now, and it quite irritated her. She was usually much more alert than this.

She took a step back into the snow drift and gave the man a scrutinizing look. He was quite young, with dark brown hair and smooth features. She recognized his near featureless species as being one of those from the other side of the wormhole. Hodins? Humods? She couldn't remember.

"What?" She said, being purposely unfriendly. It had always served her.

The man frowned at her but did not look put out. He turned a data pad he held in one hand toward her and said, "Do you recognize this man? He's a friend of mine and we're looking for him."

Lin leaned toward the pad and was thankful that her face was momentarily hidden from the man's view. Her eyes widened in a flash and she was sure she could not breathe. There was no mistaking the golden eyes and white skin that looked back at her. In the image, Data was wearing a uniform of some kind, black with gray-purple shoulders and rank insignia. But she knew not what the insignia was. She didn't know anything about the other side of the wormhole.

"Um…have you seen him?" The man said again, wiggling the pad.

_Who are you? _She only just kept herself from saying the words. He had said he was Data's friend, but…how could she be sure of that? Just because he said he was didn't mean anything! Before she could complete her thoughts, she began shaking her head and backing away.

The man frowned again as he scrutinized her suspicious response, "Are you sure? Look, I have some latinum if that's what you need. Just tell me if you've seen him."

Money? She didn't want money. She wanted Data to stay with her. She didn't want be alone anymore! "No, I haven't seen him. As much as I would love to lie and take your money, I haven't seen anyone like that."

She backed closer to the wall, almost tripping over the high snow drift. She continued to eye the man, for he was staring at her in the most peculiar way. He even bent down, as if trying to see under the tight hood of her coat.

"What's wrong with you?" She snapped, "Move on! I told you I haven't seen him."

"What's your name?"

She didn't even hesitate, "Morasa. What's it to you?"

"Do you live here? Work here?" The man asked, narrowing his eyes further.

Lin knew better than to reply. Volunteering information, even false information, was a sure way of looking suspicious. No one did that in these kinds of places. Instead, she leaned against the wall near the hidden panel and pretended to ignored him.

Her communicator clicked twice, causing her to jump. Impossible! Data was finished already? She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the man was still standing there. She grinded her teeth angrily. She couldn't very well open the hidden panel and enter her codes with him standing right there. Why was the man looking for Data anyway? Couldn't they just scan the settlement and see that he was there, only a hundred yards off in the snow thick field?

_The smugglers. _She had almost forgotten. The smugglers who controlled this outpost had a signal scrambler in place to stop just that sort of thing from happening. The Dominion was well aware of it but did not care, since it wasn't capable of interfering with their covert monitoring.

"Are you deaf!" She barked, "I said move on!"

The man stomped his foot angrily and turned away. He had the air of someone who had been snapped at one too many times, and very recently. Her communicator clicked again and she shifted her weight nervously as she watched the man stop nearby to ask another person if they had seen Data.

_Oh, no. No, no…. _

Someone was going to talk. Any moment. Data was nothing if not noticeable, and with the man offering latinum it was only a matter of time before someone divulged. She hugged the wall, using her body to block the near seamless panel that opened at her precise touch. She entered the code twice, shaking too badly to do it correctly the first time, then slammed the panel shut and ran off into the snow.

She lifted her knees as she tried to make speed through the deep pack. She was in the field now, where no one had reason to walk. It wasn't until she found the path Data had already lain that she moved faster. He was just up ahead, barely visible in the moonless black.

"I have completed the download." Data said as she closed the top of the data node and scooped a handful of now onto it, "Does it not concern you that the Dominion conducts secretive surveillance on people?"

"Eh…no. Not really." She said, looking over her shoulder, "If we're done we can go now."

Data cocked his head curiously, "Were you running? Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm fine. I just want to leave. I'm cold." She looked over her shoulder again, despite being too far away now to see anything. What if the man had been telling the truth? What if he was Data's friend? He might be able to give Data his memory back.

_Then he won't want to be around you. _The thought was so nasty that it left an acidic taste in her mouth. The man in that image she had seen wore a uniform with insignia. Data _belonged _somewhere, and that somewhere was probably a lot more than important to him than her and her ridiculous Tasker's schedule.

Since when had she begun thinking of her schedule as ridiculous?

"Alright." Data said, "There is no reason to remain if the task is complete."

Lin looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak, but the words stuck in her throat.

"Lin?"

He didn't remember. He didn't know. How could he miss something he couldn't even remember? Suddenly, she said, "Do you like traveling with me, Data?"

He took the question with surprise, but still smiled almost immediately, "I am glad you did not leave me behind after I caused you crash. I have enjoyed your company."

That was all she needed. Lin reached into her pocket and pulled out the transporter device. She stepped close to him as she held it up and activated it. At the last minute, she rested her hand on his arm to bring him into the transporter beam, even though it was entirely unnecessary.

Deeper in the dirty, snow covered settlement, Blake shook the flurries from his coat hood and pushed his way through a bunch of rowdy traders in the local bar. Lore and Captain Picard spotted him immediately.

"Did you find anything?" Lore asked.

"No." Blake snorted, "And the people here. Jeeze! This is by the far the worst place yet!"


	18. Slave

**XVIII.**

"_I did not call her names!"_

"Well, well. Isn't this an amusing little coincidence?"

Maddox pinched the bridge of his nose with nothing less than boiling frustration. Was this the way the Dominion operated by design, or was this just a particular personality quirk of Weyoun?

"What?" Maddox snapped.

Weyoun held the data pad at arm's length and seemed to look down at it from over his nose. His made a disapproving tisk sound, "I really must correct some of my Jem'Hadar retainers. They so often forget to issue their reports in a larger font. We Vorta have such poor eyesight, you know."

_You infuriating little weasel…._ "Clearly you can read it, from your little comment. What is such a coincidence? Did you find him?"

Weyoun sighed and lowered the pad. "Oh, yes. It was very little effort to check the Tasker schedules and see who had been assigned to fix the surveillance satellite over that crash site. It is very likely that your android left the surface with her."

"Well?" Maddox lifted his hands sarcastically.

"I do hope for the Tasker's sake that your android decided to keep certain…mmm…obvious facts to himself." Weyoun mused, "She has a perfect work record, it would seem. It would be a shame if we had to have her destroyed due to interference."

"Oh, my God…." Maddox hissed through his teeth, "I don't give a damn about your slaves. B-4. _B-4! _Do we know where he is or not?"

Finally showing some kind of irritation, Weyoun lifted a brow and said, "Of course. It would appear that after leaving the crash site, she merely continued along her usual maintenance course, on schedule."

Maddox's heart leapt in his chest, making him a bit sick. Good! If they knew where this woman was, and that B-4 was likely with her, why were they just standing there?

"Are we on our way to her location now?"

"No." Weyoun said simply, "We're on our way to DCS Seventeen."

DCS. Dominion Control Station. Maddox had made a point of learning some basics about the Dominion before he had made the decision to pass through the wormhole and seek them out. Correction. The _foolish _decision.

"And that's not where she is?" Maddox continued, "What are we waiting for? You know as well as I do that it's likely Lore and probably Picard are crisscrossing this sector in Lore's cloaked ship. What if he finds them?"

"I have a distinct feeling that our…_unique_ Tasker either has quite a head start on Picard, or she is actively attempting to elude them. It's likely they would have caught her by now, otherwise." Weyoun said, "Besides, there is no need to go looking for her. She's coming to us."

There it was again. That subtle, almost amused emphasis on the Tasker rather than B-4. Maddox narrowed his eyes. "Can't you contact this woman? Order her to remain in place or secure B-4 until we arrive?"

Weyoun chuckled, genuinely it would seem, "According to this file, we once took great pains to make this particular woman an example of strength and the benefits of genetic modification, but I seriously doubt she could 'subdue' your android. And I would not recommend contacting her either. For all we know, B-4 may have access to her comm, and then we would be—what is that human phrase?—showing our hand."

"So she's coming to DCS Seventeen." Maddox nodded repeatedly, letting a potential scenario form in his mind, "And then we'll have him."

Weyoun merely smirked and looked back at the data pad.

So they were going to jump ahead of this Tasker's schedule and wait for her to come to them. It made sense on the surface, but Maddox couldn't help the turmoil it put into his stomach. It seemed so flippant. Any number of things could happen between now and the time the woman was supposed to arrive. Hell! It was possible any number of things had already happened! He was about to demand action when his brain stopped. The damned curious nature of scientists was a blessing and a curse.

"H—how do you know she stayed on schedule? Or that she will stay on course? How do you know B-4 didn't overpower her or drop her off somewhere?" Maddox asked.

Weyoun smiled and shrugged, "She's maintained her schedule thus far and, believe me, a Tasker would do _anything_ to keep from falling behind schedule. We make sure of it." With those words, Weyoun lifted a hand and tapped the back of his own neck several times in a very purposeful show, "And when they do fall behind schedule, we know about it in due course."

Maddox merely stared as Weyoun turned and departed the room without another word. Everything he had to fill his thought—B-4, the new android, the subsequent rebuilds—they were all still there, but at that moment a new thought occupied Maddox. How was he going to eventually get out of this?

(*)

Lin reached under her thick mantle of mahogany hair and scratched the back of her neck absently.

"I don't know." She muttered.

"You do not know?"

"No." Lin said again, shrugging her shoulders, "They never told me and I had no reason to ask. Besides, I'm pretty sure that my guess is close. Thirty? Thirty-one?"

Data frowned again, for there was something about the entire concept that troubled him. For the third time, he said, "You should know your own birthday."

"Okay. What's yours?" She said with a smirk.

"That is not a fair question. I am sure I knew that information before losing my memory." He replied, though not harshly. He could see the almost teasing expression on her face, and he was certain he had heard a teasing tone.

Lin turned in her control seat suddenly, her eyes wide, "Then you have no idea how old you are. You could be a hundred! Or…or three!"

"I am not three." He said flatly.

This seemed to amuse her greatly. Lin laughed and turned her chair back toward the console, where she continued to make course adjustments and absently scratch at her neck.

_Your age is forty-two years, three months, and six days. _

Data closed his eyes. It helped him to suppress any more noticeable reaction. He had been so busy contemplating Lin's strange personal background that he had not detected B-4's renewed presence.

"Thank you, B-4." Data thought silently. He looked at Lin and almost announced the newfound information, but quickly snapped his mouth shut. For some reason, he worried that she might become too curious about the sudden revelation, and that he might eventually have to reveal B-4's existence. Doing so bothered him for some reason.

Lin rose from her seat with a mild look of irritation and retrieved something from the tiny storage locker on the wall. She returned to her seat with a small black jar, which she set aside before continuing her work.

"What is that?" Data asked.

Lin glanced over her shoulder, "Nothing. Um…you know, thanks to you we're going to be almost six hours ahead of schedule at our next stop."

"Is that alright?" He said, "Is it acceptable for you to be ahead of schedule?"

"Perfectly! Though, not _too _far ahead." She said with a shrug, "A day or two at the most, otherwise I would be putting the rotation off."

Data nodded, but a thought occurred to him suddenly, and it was in no small part due to the miserable facts of Lin's background, which they had been discussing. She had no idea how old she was. She had told him that, prior to two days ago, she had never eaten anything other the ration bricks provided to her, nor had she ever danced with anyone. She had admitted to hopping around a bit to the music she liked, which was another luxury she had acquired without the permission of her _precious _Directors. All of it had combined to make for a rather miserable tale, even in Data's uninformed opinion.

He frowned at his own thoughts. He disliked the Directors immensely, and he had never even met one of them. Was that trait common to him, or was this situation unique?

_The Directors must not be nice. They do not treat Lin nice. _

"I agree." Data thought. He faced Lin again and spoke, "If we will arrive six hours ahead of schedule, there is no reason you may not do something else for six hours."

"Something else?" She asked distractedly, "What else is there to do besides work?"

"I would imagine the list of possibilities to be nearly endless, but I would suggest occupations that are entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Lin smiled, "You mean like dancing and listening to music?"

"Yes. Although, there is no need to plan activities ahead of time. I…." Data hesitated, unsure if his honest opinion would be insulting to her. Deciding it wouldn't be, he said, "I believe your life is already far too scheduled."

Not surprisingly, Lin's brow wrinkled in reaction to that, though whether she was offended or confused he could not tell. She appeared ready to say something, when she cringed instead and started rubbing at her neck again. With a frustration little sigh, she reached for the black jar she had set aside and opened it. In motions that appeared very practiced, she removed some white cream from the jar and began applying it to her skin just underneath her choker necklace.

Data stood at once, "Are you injured?"

She shook her head, but did not look at him, "No. It's just my, eh, necklace chaffs sometimes and irritates my skin. It's fine."

There was an edge to her voice, and the fact that she was not looking at him spoke volumes. Being on her own almost all the time, it was likely that Lin was not very skilled in the art of lying.

Data watched her apply the ointment with one hand as she scanned information on the console screen with the other. She occasionally winced as she pushed her fingers under the tight necklace. He had not noticed it before, but the necklace was remarkably tight. Just getting two or three of her fingers underneath it appeared to be a challenge.

"That task would be much easier if you removed your necklace." Data noted. What he really wanted to ask was why she wore it at all if it caused her discomfort.

"What?" She said, her eyes wide with alarm, "Eh…no. No, that's not necessary. This is easy."

_Lin sounds worried. _

"Agreed." Data thought, shifting his eyes. He took a step toward Lin, "It does not _look_ easy."

She turned away from him and quickly began fumbling with the ointment jar, trying to screw the cap back on and constantly cross threading it. Despite her desire to look casual, her predicament became too much for her and she scratched at the back of her neck once more.

Data's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong, and it was obvious that Lin had no intention of sharing the information willingly. He was not sure why it was so important to him, but it was, and that was all that mattered as he crossed the cabin and used one hand to brush Lin's hair away from her neck.

"What are you doing?" She cried. She tried to jump up and away from him, but she was trapped by the console.

"I am removing your necklace." Data insisted, "It is hurting you."

"No!"

She twisted around and grabbed his hands, but by then he had already stopped. Data starred with wide curious eyes at the back of Lin's neck. An implant of some kind, roughly an inch square protruded from the back of her neck nearly half an inch. The ends of her so-called necklace met the implant, thus attaching the thing to her in a very permanent way. As she moved, trying to free herself from him, he could see the movement of her neck muscles around the object, and it was instantly clear to him that the implant, and thus the _collar_, were connected directly to her spine.

"Why do you have this?" Data demanded. He was so singularly focused that he did not even note the unusual edge in his voice.

"It's none of your business!" Lin shouted. She slapped his hands away from her and practically climbed over the arm of the chair to get free.

"The metal band around your neck is not a piece of jewelry." Data declared, "It is a…." He was not sure what word was appropriate, but he had a close idea, "It is a collar."

"Collar!" She cried, "You don't know what you're talking about. Like I said, it's none of your business. So…so just forget about it."

"Do you choose to wear it?" He continued, "Why is it attached to your spine? What possible purpose could that serve?"

Lin shifted her eyes around the tiny room as if she were looking for a way out. Data had never seen her so distressed, even when she had been on the verge of collapsing due to hunger. She reached under her hair and appeared to touch the implant in a nervous gesture.

"It's just…eh…a precaution the Directors have to take. That's all."

Have to? Data frowned openly. No. That wasn't quite right. He _scowled, _and had his memory been intact he would have known just how rare that was for him.

"What is the purpose of that implant, Lin?" He said, moving toward her, "Why do you wear it?"

"I told you. The Directors have to do it!" She reached up and unconsciously gripped the black metal band around her neck, "Some—Eh…sometimes Taskers try to avoid their duties. They disappear and try to leave the Dominion. The collars make sure they can't do that."

If Lin thought this was an appeasing explanation, she was sorely mistaken. Data's mouth fell open in shock, and he spoke the first words that came to mind, "You are a slave."

Lin's eyes widened, and the whites seem to go slightly red. She uttered some unintelligible sounds as her face contorted into a rage. Her ability for speech at a loss, she stormed toward him and shoved him as hard as she could against the chest. When he didn't even move, she brought her fists down on him instead.

"You—you shut up! You don't know anything about it! Nothing!"

_She is attacking us!_

"Calm down." Data said, but he immediately regretted the words, for the _thought _had been intended for B-4!

"Don't tell me to 'calm down'!" Lin snapped. Her face was flushed and there was no ignored the glassy covering of tears in her eyes. "Don't call me that! Don't call me a slave!"

"Lin, I am sorry." He said, backing up as she tried to push him again, "I did not mean to insult you."

She dropped her hands and breathed deeply. It was obvious that she was trying to keep her tears from falling. The wall was going up again.

"Everyone says that." Her voice was cold and uneven, "People who find out I'm a tasker run away, but the ones that don't say the same thing. 'Oh, you're a Dominion _slave.' _It's not true."

But it was true. It was so obvious now that he wondered how he had missed the fact until this point. The bartender at their first stop had mentioned it, but Data had been inclined to dismiss the accusation, since the man did not know Lin and was probably incorrect. The facts, however, had combined to form a near perfect definition. Lin was bound by a labor schedule dictated by others, her meager rations and the restrictions on her personal possessions were proof that she received no compensation for her labor, and—the most damning piece of evidence—she could not choose to leave.

Data lowered his voice to something more concerned than angry. He said, "You told me that the collar keeps people from leaving. If you no longer wished to perform maintenance for the Directors, could you choose to leave?"

She hardly moved. She just averted her eyes and swallowed.

"I did not think so."

"It doesn't—." She trialed off and shifted uncomfortably in place for a few moments. Finally, she spun around and darted toward the back of the cabin.

"Lin!" He called.

"Leave me alone!" She tossed back. Data was not sure if he intended to physically stop her, but he lost the opportunity anyway when Lin stepped into the lavatory compartment and closed the door.

_Lin is angry at you. You called her names. _

"I did not call her names!" Data thought harshly, "It is true. She is a slave."

_That is not good. _

Data approached the lavatory door and…just stood there. He was actually at a loss for a response. Should he just leave her alone as she had requested? He did not like that idea, and not just because he found her dramatic seclusion to be unproductive.

"Lin, I am sorry." He said again, hoping that an apology would at least calm her, "Are you angry with me?"

There was a long pause, then a weak, "No."

_She hit us. She _is_ angry! _

Data almost instructed B-4 to remain quiet again, but he smiled instead. It was a brief, amused sort of smile. Lin had indeed hit him, and to very little effect.

"Will you come out?" Data asked.

Another long pause, followed by an equally weak, "No."

Staring at the smooth grey surface of the door, Data was actually beginning to feel a bit foolish as well as confused. If she was not angry at him, why was she avoiding him by locking herself in the lavatory?

"Will you tell me about the implant on your neck?" Data said finally, "Does it contain a tracking device? Is that how it keeps taskers from leaving?"

What followed was a very long silence. It was so long that Data concluded, rather miserably, that she was not interested in talking to him anymore. It bothered him more than he would have thought possible. He headed toward the control chair to tend the navigation systems, when he heard the low mumble of Lin's voice through the door.

"You can increase speed to warp nine if you want. We'll be there in no time."

Data moved swiftly back to the door, "Alright, but why? Do you wish to arrive even more ahead of schedule."

"No. But you do, don't you?" She replied, her voice low and sharp.

"No." He replied, frowning, "Why would _I _wish to arrive sooner?"

"So that you can leave." She replied. Did he imagine it, or was there a guttural, catching quality to her voice? He was most certainly _not _imagining it.

"Why would I wish to leave?" Data continued.

"Everyone avoids taskers because they know what we are. Now that you know too, you'll want to get away from me as soon as possible." A soft thud, like the sound of head leaning against the door, sounded. "Just like everyone else…."

Data sighed, "Then you are a slave?"

"Yes!" She shouted. That was followed up with a loud bang against the door, likely from her fist.

_You should not have said that. You should have said, 'I will not leave.' _

"Yes, thank you, B-4" He thought ruefully. He opened his mouth, ready to follow B-4's suggestion, when the reality of that statement sunk in. Wasn't leaving exactly what he wanted? Didn't he want to find out where he came from and return there? B-4 had told him that he was happy, that he had a brother and duties aboard a ship somewhere.

In light of this turmoil, he decided to go for a half measure, "Lin, I do not wish to leave."

The door, which slid on its track manually, clicked and opened an inch. One of Lin's bronze brown eyes peered out. "You don't?"

"No." He gave her a sincere, reassuring smile, "I do not wish to leave. I enjoy your company."

The door opened a few more inches, just enough for him to see the strange look on Lin's face. It was a mix of worry and suspicion.

"Why? You barely know me." She said slowly, "You just came with me because I was the only person around and you had no other choice."

"I did have other options. I could have remained at the crash site." He reminded her.

"But you didn't want to." She countered, "You said you didn't want to be alone."

Data stepped closer to the door and, for a moment, considered opening it the rest of the way. Fortunately, he resisted. Instead, he made a facetious expression and said, "I assure you that had I deemed your company to be worse than remaining at the crash site, I would have stayed."

"Oh, what a compliment." She sniffed, "My company is better than being stranded on a frozen ball of dirt."

"Yes." He continued, still amused, "In spite of the fact that you yelled at me, called me names, threatened to steal components from my vessel, _and _threatened me a weapon, your company was still preferable to the crash site."

Lin turned her face away from the narrow opening in the door, but it was too late. Data had already seen the corners of her mouth working up in a smile. It didn't last long, however, because he could not allow the topic at hand to drop.

"Lin, please explain the collar to me." He pressed, "I may be able to help you."

"I don't need help." She said with a long sigh, "It isn't perfect, but…but the Directors take care of me. They always have. So long as I do what I'm supposed to do, they don't fail me."

The desire to counter her argument was almost palpable, but Data knew he had to pick his battles. That one, which was clearly built on a long standing belief for Lin, could wait for another time. Instead, he maintained his focus and reached toward her collar.

She threw the door open the rest of the way and clapped her hand over his just as he reached her neck.

"Don't disturb it! You're too strong. You might break it!"

"Would that be bad?" Data asked pointedly, "What would happen if I removed it?"

Lin shook her head vigorously, "You can't, ever. If you break the connection and try to remove it by force it will kill me in a few minutes. The Directors can activate the termination sequence remotely too, in case a Tasker becomes violent or disobedient—."

She stopped herself with a gasp. She had said too much.

Data's heart sank, or whatever possible metaphor could match how he was feeling. They would _kill_ her for trying to leave their service? His eyes shifted around the shuttle for a moment, noting the lone autonomy of Lin's existence, when an epiphany struck him. He lowered his hand from her neck slowly.

"That is why you were so concerned about falling behind schedule." He said, "If you fall behind schedule—."

"The uplink in my implant will note it and start the termination process." Lin swallowed hard and studied the tops of her shoes, "If I'm ever more than six hours late for a check point…."

_Oh, no! That is bad! Very bad! I would not like for Lin to die because she was late. _

Data clenched his jaw tightly, all in an effort to keep from saying something that might cause Lin to retreat back into the lavatory. He was shocked and angry, to say the least, but what could he do about it? It was apparent that Lin, for whatever reason, still harbored the belief that the Directors 'took care' of her, or that she owed them something. And, even if she didn't sincerely feel that way, the proverbial noose around her neck was enough to make her behave as if she did.

_I want to go home, Data. I do not like things here._

Data stepped back from the door as Lin slowly moved past him. She shuffled her feet on her way back to the control console.

"I do not think I like them either." Data thought in reply. He watched Lin as he continued to speak to B-4, "Are there slaves where we come from? In this 'home' of ours?"

_I do not think so. _

"But do you know so?" Data pressed.

There was a pause, during which Data could sense B-4 puzzling out the answer.

_People have to do what Captain Picard says, because he's the Captain. But they choose to stay and let Captain Picard be their Captain. They could go away if they wanted to. They choose to stay. _

Data released a pent up breath and silently replied, "Thank you, B-4. I believe that is a satisfactory answer."

Crossing the cabin once more, Data stopped behind Lin and wondered what he should say. He did not want to anger her by continuing on a topic that she clearly found distressing. After all, she might overreact and leave him behind at their next stop. Yet, he also could not entertain the idea of ignoring what he had just learned. How could he?

"I think I'll take your advice." Lin said suddenly.

Data blinked, "Advice?"

"Yes. We're ahead of schedule." Her voice was tense and a little nervous, "Our next stop is the Tejlik second home world. A quarter of the planet is a thousand year old mega-city with more than two billion inhabitants."

Data nodded, but continued to look confused. What advice?

Lin smiled, awkwardly, and said, "For five hours we'll do something besides work. You win."

He hadn't been expecting that at all, which caused him to break into a very broad and sincere smile. Oddly enough, he felt as if he had just won a little battle.

"Alright." He said, "I will man the console while you sleep."

Lin nodded. Before their argument had ensued, Lin had been preparing to sleep for a few hours anyway. She looked even more exhausted now. She nodded and began setting up her sleeping area with the things from the storage compartment. She lay down, fully dressed except for her boots as usual, and pulled her blanket up to her shoulder. She turned her back to the room and was silent.

After a few minutes, Data was certain she was asleep, until she sighed heavily and spoke.

"Data?"

"Yes."

"If…If you do decide to stay behind at the next stop, I'll understand."

Data turned in the control chair and met her eyes directly, "Lin, I already told you that I do not wish to leave."

She stared back at him for a few tense seconds. Something painful passed over her face before she turned back toward the wall, "Okay." She muttered.

After fifteen minutes of silence, Lin's breathing changed to indicate that she was finally asleep. Data continued to monitor their course, but there was not much to be done at this point. After more than an hour of unnecessary checking and rechecking, he turned to look at Lin again. She was still facing the wall, but her hair had fallen away to give a perfect view of the implant at the back of her neck. It was only now he realized that every other time Lin had slept in his presence, she had done so with her back firmly against the wall, thus hiding the back of her neck from his view. There was no need for such secrecy now.

Rising from the chair, he went silently to the storage locker and looked through its contents. He had no idea how angry Lin would be if she discovered what he was doing, or about to do, but he knew he was right. He could not merely sit by, idly, while Lin continued to live her life in slavery.

He removed the tool bag Lin always carried and removed two different types of scanning devices, along with a blank data chip. Turning back into the room he slowly and quietly knelt down next to Lin, placing all the tools on the carpeted floor.

_What are you doing now? I cannot see things, Data._

"I am trying to help Lin."

_How?_

"I am going to scan the implant on her neck and examine the results. I wish to know if I can safely remove it."

_Okay. _B-4 paused in his thoughts as Data began very slowly running the scanner over the implant, being sure not to move her hair. He then said, _What will happen if you do remove it? Won't the Directors be angry at Lin?_

"It will not matter if they are angry because they will not be able to find her."

_Okay. _Another long pause, then, _Will you take her with us when we go home? _

Data finished a first scan and set the tool down, only to pick up the second and continue working. He did not even hesitate in his answer.

"Yes."


	19. The Entertainment District

**XIX.**

"_Plenty."_

"What did you do!"

Blake didn't have time to respond to Lore's accusatory question. He was too busy scrambling over the top of the bar and falling onto hard, liquor soaked floor.

"Argh! Shit!" Blake cried, grabbing his shoulder.

"Blake!" Lore shouted again. He moved back toward the bar and pressed his back against the sink as a shower of glass rained down on them. The place was filled with shouts, laughter, and the percussion of gunfire. _Gunfire!_

"Are they firing projectiles at us!" Blake cried, "Actual bullets?"

Lore cringed as he felt the vibration of bullets striking the other side of the bar. Luckily, none passed through, "Yes, Blake! Be thankful, because I doubt this bar would be much protection from disruptor fire. What did you say to them?"

"Nothing!" Blake insisted, covering his head with both hands as the shelf of bottles above them exploded into a waterfall of glass and sticky alcohol.

"That's likely." Lore scoffed, "Out with it!"

"Okay! Damn! I just asked the woman over there if she had seen Data, like we've _been doing_. She was with some people and they didn't want to answer so—." He covered his face against a new volley, "So I might have mentioned that we were looking for the Tasker too."

"What?" Lore drawled, more irritated than upset. After all, he was going to be able to walk away from this. It was Blake who was in a hell of a lot of trouble.

"Well, I thought they would be more likely to answer if they thought I, eh…."

"What!"

"If I worked for the Dominion."

Lore closed his eyes and shook his head. There was a reason Blake was an engineer and not a security officer.

"And you didn't think that maybe—just _maybe_—the Dominion might not be welcome here!" Lore retorted. A decorative plat on the wall in front of them burst like a little porcelain bomb as a bullet struck it dead center.

"Oh my God!" Blake moaned, listing his head, "Are they laughing!"

Lore listened, and sure enough the crowd in the bar seemed more than delighted with what was going on. That, of course, excluded the owner of the establishment, who was shouting profanities over everyone.

"Come on." Lore grumbled, "We're getting out of here."

"What!" Blake rolled onto the balls of his feet and kept his head down, "Sorry, but I can't just shrug off a few chunks of metal being driven into my back like you can!"

Lore shot him a sarcastic smile, "We all have our shortcomings. Now get up."

"What are we going to do?" Blake muttered. He had all the air of a man resigned to death.

"They've already shot out the window just over there. It's only a five foot drop to the street. We'll go over the sill and jump."

"Great!" Blake barked, laughing bitterly. "If I die, tell Teni I should have kissed her before I left."

Lore shot Blake a disbelieving look, "You haven't kissed her yet? What are you doing?"

"Oh! Excuse me for not moving as fast as you, Mr. Seven Months of Pining Away Silently!" Blake snapped.

Lore sent his fist into Blake's shoulder just a little harder than necessary.

"Argh! Come on, man!" Blake snarled, "We don't have time for this. Let's go while—. Hey, they stopped."

Lore lifted up just enough for his eyes to flash over the top of the bar, "No, they're reloading. Now!"

"What?"

"Now, Blake!" Lore grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and hauled him to his feet, practically slinging him in the direction of the shot out window. A bench seat lined the wall, providing a step as Blake leapt up to the sill and jumped—or more accurately, _fell_—to the sidewalk below and rolled onto his side.

"Son of a bitch!" Blake gasped.

Lore landed on his feet next to him just as a fresh volley of laughs and weapon's fire came from the bar.

"Tell your Founders about _that_!" A deep, drunken voice laughed from inside the bar. A general chorus of whooping agreement followed.

Blake stumbled to his feet and ran next to Lore down the sidewalk. Oddly enough, the chaos from the bar did not seem to have attracted much attention, save for a few amused looks from the people they passed.

"What is wrong with this place!" Blake panted. He pulled off his jacket at the same time Lore did and shook it out, releasing a shower of glass bits and debris onto the sidewalk. They both said nothing, but Blake cringed as he slipped his hands back into the filthy, liquor stained garment.

They slowed after about half a block, when it was obvious that no one was following them.

Lore grinned, "That was fun."

"What!"

Lore shrugged, for no other reason than to get under Blake's skin. Lore wasn't the one who had almost gotten himself killed by pretending to be a Dominion agent. He was just glad Anna wasn't with them. Then he would _really _be pissed off.

Blake pulled his communicator from his pocket, "Blake to Captain Picard."

"_Picard here."_

"Sir, we didn't find anything in this quarter. The signal might have been false."

Lore scoffed at that. _Might _have? It was more than likely! They had managed to track the same warp trail to the planet's orbit, but anything more accurate than that had fallen to pieces almost immediately. The planet's surface was basically one uninterrupted mega-city, with the planet's orbit being so fantastically congested with traffic that the little vessel's trail had disappeared into the signal chaos like a raindrop into a puddle.

They had at least been able to determine that the Tasker's ship was still somewhere in orbit, since a thorough examination of the system's outer reaches had produced no warp trail. She was still there. And that meant Data and B-4 were still there, somewhere.

"This is pointless." Lore insisted again, "The signal traffic on this planet is so congested it's a wonder they can make anything work."

"_We detected B-4 in this section of the city." _Picard replied irritably, for they had already had this discussion aboard ship, _"It's possible he's still here and someone has seen him." _

Lore snarled and turned away from Blake. They had indeed detected B-4's presence on the surface, but his excitement had been short lived as the signal had appeared and disappeared at random, often misdirected and weak due to the monumental amount of interference that must have been coming from the general signal chaos of the city. Under any other circumstances, Lore might have found time to be fascinated by his surroundings. The buildings around them extended into the clouds beyond sight, some as tall as two miles. Roads and pedestrian walkways connected the buildings above them, creating little cities on top of cities.

"If anyone saw him, they wouldn't remember." Lore scoffed, "There are two million people in this section alone."

"Data does stand out." Blake offered.

Lore rolled his eyes, "Should I be flattered or offended?"

A pronounced sigh came through the comm channel, along with a fair amount of static. _"..eet us at…port site…en minutes." _

"Say again, Sir." Blake said.

"He wanted us to meet him at the transport site in ten minutes. Understood!" Lore tapped the badge in Blake's hand.

"What's got you in a mood?" Blake grumbled, "I'm the one who was almost turned into salsa back there."

"Salsa?" Lore smirked as they began walking down the dark sidewalk, "I'll be sure to remember that turn of phrase when I'm retelling the story back aboard the _Enterprise." _

"What!"

"Complete with a physical reenactment." He smirked, "I'm sure I can fling myself over the bar in Ten Forward while screaming 'Oh, shit!'"

"You really are a jerk, you know that!" Blake grumbled. He turned away like a petulant child. If that wasn't enough, Lore actually saw the man's lower lip protrude in a pout. Did he have any idea how young that made him look!

Lore devolved into a fit of laughter. Considering all his stress and worry, it was precisely what he needed.

Blake pulled out his tricorder and made a point of ignoring Lore as he looked over the display and made another futile attempt to scan for B-4. He would get a signal, stop excitedly, than drop his shoulders as the signal either disappeared or bounced around the map. Eventually, he snapped the thing shut in a huff and faced him again.

"You're just worried about Anna and you're taking it out on me."

"What does that mean?" Lore said, turning serious.

"You know what I mean." Blake rolled his eyes and grinned, "The ring. When are you going to propose to her?"

Lore stopped in his tracks and glared at him.

"Unless you're actually going to beat me up, that doesn't work anymore." Blake said with a snort, "So? When?"

Lore spun away from him and kept walking. "I'm not."

"What! Why?" Blake shouted, jogging to keep up.

"Because it was a stupid idea." Lore snapped, "I've clearly been spending too much time around humans. It's the only reason something so ridiculous would have occurred to me anyway."

"What's ridiculous about it?" Blake said with a frown, "You don't want to marry her?"

"Of course I do!"

"Okay. Well, then…you don't think she would say yes?"

Lore faltered in his steps once, but said nothing. He clenched his jaw and kept walking.

"Oh, man!" Blake exclaimed, "You don't think she would say yes, do you? What's wrong with you?"

"Plenty." Lore muttered.

"What does that mean?"

"It means this is none of your business." Lore retorted, "I haven't discussed this with Data or B-4, so what makes you think I would discuss it with you?"

If Lore had been hoping to insult Blake enough to drive him away, he could see that he had failed miserably. Blake was looking at him like he was insane.

"Okay." Blake said with a laugh, "First, you and Data still aren't on the best of terms. Second, I think B-4 is great but he isn't the best sounding board for something like this. So why don't you talk to me?"

"I don't want to talk to anyone!"

"She would say yes, you know."

"Shut up." Lore muttered.

"She would. Anyone can see she's in love with you. Hell! The blind could see it!"

"It doesn't matter!" Lore snapped, facing him. He immediately regretted it. He should have made some joke, or turned the conversation back to Blake's embarrassing run from gunfire. Anything to turn this subject off! Instead, he could see the curiosity spark in Blake's eyes, along with—oh, shit—concern?

"What doesn't matter?"

The last thing Lore needed right now was this. What if Blake said something to Anna, secretly, and then she agreed to marry him out of guilt? He wasn't sure if he could take something like that, and he would always wonder if her yes had been the result of something Blake said. So, like he did so often when a difficult situation arose, he lied.

"It's ridiculous because it's just a pointless ceremony." Lore said with a flippant wave of his hand, "It doesn't actually change anything. It's a waste of time."

"Yeah, okay." Blake said skeptically, "That's why you just said you wanted to marry her when I asked? Actually, I think you're words were 'of course I do!' So what's really going on? Why do you think she wouldn't say yes?"

"She _would _say yes." Lore said, grinding his teeth. He did not want to discuss this. He. Did. Not. And yet, he could not help but recognize his own curiosity about how Blake would take it. He would never admit to it in a hundred years, but he wouldn't be entirely opposed to a little advice.

Maybe.

"So what's your problem, then?" Blake said with a smile, "Ask her. Just don't do it publicly. I've heard that women don't really like that, regardless of what you see in those silly romance holonovels."

"I already told you. I'm _not _asking."

Blake drew a deep breath, no doubt ready to repeat the same 'why' and 'what's the matter with you', when Lore cut him off.

"She would regret it eventually. That's why."

"Whoa!" Blake raised both his hands as if in surrender, and came to a screeching stop. "She what? What on Earth would make you think something like that?"

"Because I'm not human."

"Oh, really?" Blake's eyes widened sarcastically, "Gee, you could have fooled me. I had no idea! I hate to break this to you, but I think Anna already knows you aren't human. She doesn't care."

"She will." Lore's voice was so low it was like death.

It seemed that Blake had finally lost his patience with the word 'why'. He merely stared at Lore, his expression demanding an answer.

Lore shifted his eyes up and down the dark street. He could refuse to answer, easily, but he had a terrible suspicion that Blake wouldn't let it drop. Or worse, he would tell Anna that something was wrong with him and she would come looking for answers. Neither was very appealing.

He faced Blake directly and spoke, "Anna's family is always together. Her mother invites us to dinner several times a week."

Blake shrugged, "Okay."

"Anna's niece, Angie, thinks it's funny to fill her mouth with food, chew it, and then show people." Lore rolled his eyes, "I think it's hilarious, and so does Anna, but her sister Amy doesn't. They were having a friendly argument about it in the kitchen. Anna said the girl was just being playful. Do you know what her sister said?"

Blake shook his head.

Lore took a step forward and spoke through clenched teeth, "She said, 'Wait until you're a _mother_ some day. Then you'll think differently.'"

For a few moments Blake didn't seem to acknowledge anything in the words. Then, his eyes widened into disks and he cringed.

"Oh."

"Oh." Lore mimicked, "Get it? I was standing right there, and you can be certain it was an awkward half hour at the dinner table that night."

Blake grumbled nervously to himself and started walking again, as if he couldn't think of anything else to do. Lore kept his eyes on the street and the throngs of people who walked by, but it was doing nothing to calm him. The sting he had experienced that evening was coming on him all over again. He had done a fair enough job covering it up, though, especially after he had seen the blood drain from Amy's face. She had clearly not meant anything by what she said. It had merely been a reflexive statement.

That was the problem.

They were less than a block from the transport site when Blake cleared his throat.

"So…um…you think that eventually Anna would want—."

"It's a reasonable assumption." He snapped.

"Okay." Blake sighed and hesitated again. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I think this is all in your head."

Lore was about to respond, but pressed his lips into a tight line instead. It was all he could do not to laugh outright.

"What's so funny?"

"You." Lore snorted, "That was either an incredibly stupid statement, or an incredibly clever dirty joke."

"Dirty joke, what…? Oh, God!" Blake cringed, "I don't know how Anna stands you!"

"You're in the majority."

"You want to focus? Let's get back to the subject we were on before you launched your mind into the gutter." Blake said with a laugh, "I think you're doing this to yourself. Maybe Anna doesn't even care. Maybe she doesn't want kids and never will."

"That's quite a few 'maybes'." He grumbled.

"No more than your assumptions." Blake shrugged, "How did she react when her sister said that?"

Lore ran the episode through his mind again, though it was hardly necessary. "She didn't give much of a reaction at all. She just kept arguing with her sister about Angie."

"See? You've turned this whole thing into something when it's probably nothing."

Blake might have said more, but they could see Picard and Anna standing near a park fountain just up ahead. The place was relatively crowded with people coming and going, the off-worlders instantly visible from the way they craned their necks to look into the sky.

Anna smiled a greeting at their approach, then immediately cringed and drew back.

"Whoa!" She said, pressing a hand to Lore's chest. "What happened to you two? You both reek."

"I love you too." Lore smirked.

"Oh, that. It, eh…." Blake frowned as he wiped at his jacket front, "We had a little run in at a bar. There were some broken bottles."

"Ensign?" Picard said, raising an eyebrow.

Blake hesitated, but eventually dropped his shoulders in resignation. He barely had his mouth open before Lore jumped in.

"I started a fight and Blake got in the way."

"Excuse me?" Picard sighed. His voice was thick with skepticism, but Lore didn't care.

He shrugged, "What can I say, Picard? I was bored."

"I see." Picard turned his appraising gaze on Blake, "In that case, I apologize, Ensign, for giving you the worst possible assignment."

"Aw." Lore frowned, pretending to be hurt. He ignored the not so subtle look of thanks coming from Blake. The man didn't have a covert bone in his body.

"Dr. Crusher had to reposition our orbit." Anna said. Her voice was all professionalism, but she gave Lore a hooded I-know-something's-going-on look. "The interference is much weaker just about a block further north. We can transport up from there."

Picard nodded, "At this point I think our best course of action is to keep searching in orbit, or wait until we detect the trail again when they leave."

Lore was ready with a snide retort, for those were precisely the recommendation he had made more than an hour ago, but he was nothing if not predictable. Anna gripped his hand and squeezed, stopping him. He looked down at her and rolled his eyes while she shrugged her shoulders. Yes, maybe it was better to play the good little crewmember. For now, anyway….

"Yes, Lore." Picard deadpanned. He didn't even bother to turn around. "You were right."

"I didn't say anything." Lore replied sweetly. He shot Anna a playful smile, which she returned since the Captain couldn't see her. It made his heart warm, knowing that she was always on his side and that they shared an unspoken dialogue in virtually any setting. Maybe Blake was right. Maybe he was making something out of nothing. Maybe he was determined the question his own good luck.

Picard shook his head at Lore's comment and kept walking. The city was massive and the section they currently moved through must have been some kind of entertainment district, though nothing as seedy as the area Lore and Blake had just left. Open cafés and lounge fronts featured people talking politely over drinks or dancing to moderate, tasteful music. Professional dancers put on shows, displaying the strange and sometimes confusing movements of their cultures' own dance heritages. For all Lore could see, it looked like the mild sort of entertainment designed for people who wanted to cut loose, but not _too loose_.

"No! I can't! I don't know how!" Came a bright, laughing voice. It echoed through the open windows of the establishment they had just passed. "That dance is too complicated!"

Blake faltered in his steps and looked back over his shoulder toward the building.

"Something wrong?" Anna said, also looking behind her. They were out of earshot now.

"No." Blake said, shrugging his shoulders, "Just thought I recognized a voice is all."

Lore turned back toward the building, but also shrugged it off. The voice had not been familiar to him at all….

(*)

"No! I can't! I don't know how!" Lin laughed and shook her head at Data's outstretched hand, "That dance is too complicated!"

"It is much simpler than the dance I showed you earlier." Data replied, smiling. "There is no twirling."

Several of the other patrons smiled and laughed. Quite unintentionally, Lin and Data had become an object of entertainment for the other dancers and drinkers in the establishment. Seeing that Lin was reluctant to be a public spectacle, several of the patrons had even gone so far as to encourage her openly.

"It doesn't look that hard!" An older woman called out, "It's like a triangle step."

"No, no." The man next to her insisted, "It's more like a floorsweep. You know, that dance we saw on Kizok Prime."

A younger woman with bright blonde hair and upswept alien features, who was keeping company with the older two, made to stand up and gave Data a winning smile. "Here. Let me give it a try."

"No, that's fine." Lin said quickly, taking Data's hand and following him back onto the floor. "I…I can do it."

Data led her back to the edge of the floor, where they were safely out of the way of the few other dancers, and raised her left hand in his right. He could not remember what the dance was called, but knew that it worked best with music in three-four time, which was currently playing.

"How many dances do you know?" Lin said as she stepped close to him and directed her eyes at her feet.

"I do not know." Data replied, "They are just occurring to me."

"Oh." Lin said. "So...you still don't remember things properly?"

"No."

Data examined her for a moment and was curious to see that her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed to be going out of her way to avoid eye contact with him. Yet, she was smiling.

"Do you wish to stop dancing?" He suggested.

"No." She assured him, "I can try again. At least I can't hurt your toes."

"No, you cannot." He replied with some amusement. She had already treaded on his feet more than a dozen times that evening. At first she was somewhat irritated by her lack of skill, but had grown easier and more relaxed as the evening progressed. Now she was laughing and smiling when she made mistakes, sometimes leaning her face into his chest to cover her embarrassment when the other patrons laughed.

"You are doing well." He said. Her steps were following his in a precise mirror as they moved around is a smooth three point shape. Data may not have been able to remember that the dance was, in fact, the waltz, but he could remember other things. He remembered learning how to dance, actually. A tall woman with red hair and deep blue eyes had been there. He kept calling her Doctor, but Doctor what?

He would ask B-4 later.

"I've got it!" Lin said happily. She looked up at him and her smile was so wide and bright, it was almost like the first night they had danced. Only this time her smile was not being helped along with alcohol.

Data smiled. "I am pleased you are having fun. Do you believe you have mastered the steps?"

"Yes." She said proudly, "I'm not stepping on your toes."

"That is because you are watching your feet."

"So?" She shrugged.

"Watching your feet is acceptable when learning, but it is not the proper stance." He replied.

"Alright. What is?"

He hesitated a moment, uncertain, but quickly decided that Lin would prefer to perform the dance properly. He curved his hand further around her waist until it rested at the small of her back and pulled her closer. Much closer. In fact, he could not remember having danced with the unnamed Doctor so closely.

"Oh!" Lin lost her footing almost immediately and landed square on the top of his boot. "Sorry!"

"There is no need to apologize." He assured her, stepping back slightly. He directed his eyes to the side as a sudden wave of embarrassment came over him. Why did he do that? He honestly couldn't explain it.

"I am sorry." He muttered.

"I just couldn't see my feet anymore. I lost the pattern." Lin said with a smile. "Here. Let me try again from the beginning."

Data nodded, relieved, and was about to take their former stance when Lin stepped in and once again closed the space between them. He smiled before he could form a rational thought, then quickly tried to conceal it.

"Are you laughing at me?" Lin narrowed her eyes slightly.

"No." He replied quickly, shaking his head. He had no idea why he was acting so nervous. Was he nervous? Was that what he was feeling?

The music reached the end of a section and began the melody again, allowing them to pick up where they left off. Lin followed along well, despite not being able to see her feet. That did not keep her from directed her eyes down, however. As he sorted through the memory fragment occupying his thoughts, he recalled the redheaded Doctor instructing him to look up and make eye contact. Yes, he was sure. That was the appropriate method.

"Look at me."

Lin looked up in an almost startled way, but it must have been a good start, because her cheeks were turned up in the most delighted smile. Data was certain he felt her hand tighten around his.

Every train of thought he had stopped.

"Ouch!" Lin cried, hopping back from him. She bent over and grabbed her foot where he had just laid his heel onto her toes.

"I am sorry." He said at once, frowning.

"Ha!" The old woman at the nearby table released a resounding laugh and smiled at Lin, "Just think, my dear! We've spent all this time laughing over your missteps. This is much more entertaining!"

Data felt suddenly, and very inexplicably, embarrassed. That he would make a misstep was not only unlikely, but—.

"Yes!" Lin laughed, pointing a finger at Data, "_You _made a mistake."

His embarrassment did not decline, but it did shift to an amused sort as the small collection of patrons clapped and had a laugh at his expense.

_You stepped on Lin's foot. _B-4's amusement was not audible, but easily detected none the less. _She sounds happy about it. She is strange. _

"She is not strange." Data thought defensively.

_Strange is not bad. Lore said so. _

Lin limped back in his direction a few steps. He thought to ask her if she wanted to stop dancing, but decided he had a much greater interest in continuing. She paused to readjust the scarf around her neck, which had been cleverly concealing her tasker's collar all evening, and raised her hand to his again.

"Careful. I need my feet." She teased.

"I will attempt it." He teased back. He could see the ease and amusement in her face, and was rather surprised by how much he enjoyed it. He was not sure why it came as such a strange revelation to him, but he was surprised by just how happy he was to be making her happy.

Just think how happy she would be when she no longer had to follow the dictates of the Directors.

"Do you remember dancing?" Lin asked as the completed a step into the middle of the floor. They were very close, and she had to turn her face almost straight up to look at him.

"I recall the mechanics but not particular instances." He replied, "Although, I do believe I remember learning to dance. I remember my instructor."

"Oh?" Lin said. Her brow knitted in a curious way.

"Yes. I was asking her to teach me to dance for some reason, though I cannot recall the reason."

"I see." Lin nodded a few times, "Did, eh….Do you remember other people?"

"Several. Though, once again, I see them in memories but cannot ascertain who they are to me or how I know them. My memories still do not appear linked to one another."

"Okay." She said, releasing a pent up breath. If Data did not know any better—and he was not certain he did—she almost sounded relieved.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Um…." She closed her eyes for a moment, "How much time do we have left?"

Data frowned. He had been hoping she would not ask, though he had no intention of causing her to be late for her assignment. Especially now that he knew the consequences of such a thing, he would make certain.

"Forty-two minutes." He replied.

She cringed, "We had better go, then."

"That is forty-two minutes, plus the hour you already allotted as a buffer." He replied, "And I may also remind you that you are defeating the purpose of not working by constantly asking me when you can work again."

"I'm not constantly asking." She objected.

Data smiled, "You have asked me nine times in the last three hours."

She bit down a laugh, "Alright. I won't ask again."

The music ended after a few more bars, and was replaced by more somber background music that was really not suitable to dancing. Lin looked around for a moment, then fixed her eyes on the exit and shrugged. There really was no reason for them to stay longer, since they were completely without funds and could not eat or drink there anyway. Also, they had been dancing for some time, and it might be a good idea for her few hours of freedom to have more variety.

"Oh, you're leaving?" The blonde woman who had spoken before said, folding her arms in disapproval. "I was hoping to try that dance too."

Data smiled and was ready to issue a polite explanation for their departure, when Lin suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door.

"No. Sorry, we have to be somewhere!" Lin practically barked over her shoulder. Data just managed to look back over his shoulder and issue polite nods of farewell to the strangers they had met. He could not understand why the old couple was laughing, nor why the blonde woman was scowling profusely.

Data continue to follow Lin, for she was still pulling him, across the street and away from the lounge. It wasn't until they were there that she let go of his hand and appeared to develop a very intense interest in the buildings around her.

"Are you alright?" Data asked, "Why did you wish to leave so quickly?"

"I just didn't want to dance anymore." She said quickly.

Oh. Perhaps he was to blame for that. Once again he could not help but ask himself why he had done such a thing?

"That woman wanted to dance with you…." Lin muttered, her voice barely above a grumble.

Data looked at her curiously, "Watching others dance is a very useful method in learning technique. Perhaps I should have asked her to dance before you—."

"Argh!" Lin groaned, screwing his face up in irritation.

Now he was entirely confused, and the look he gave her showed it.

"That woman didn't want to dance with you." She said.

"But, you just said that—."

"She wanted to be _close _to you. Dancing was just an excuse." She raised her hands to her neck and began fiddling with her scarf, tying and untying the knot.

Understanding fell on him quickly. His memory may have been impaired, but he was not a fool. "You mean, she was attracted to me?"

Lin gave a curt nod.

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

They continued walking past other establishments and through throngs of happy, laughing people. Lin's mood had changed. She did not appear angry, precisely, just…down. It was clear, even to him, that she was absorbed in her own thoughts.

_Lin is jealous. _

Data frowned, but luckily Lin did not notice it in the dark. He thought, "Why would you say that?"

_The other woman was 'attracted' to you, and now Lin is unhappy. She was not unhappy before. _

"That is merely a correlation." Data thought immediately.

_No. Causation. _

"They are not the same thing, B-4."

_I know. Causation. _

Data sighed heavily, drawing Lin's attention. Her brow was knitted in concern so obvious that, once again, Data could not help but mark her profound inability to hide her feelings. People who spent their lives alone had little use for concealment.

"Do you want to go back?" She sighed.

"Go back where?"

"To the place we just left." She twisted her fingers in the ends of her scarf, "So you can see that woman."

Data's eyes widened. He was not offended, he was merely surprised. Why would she even consider such a possibility? "No." He said flatly, "I have no interest in her."

"You don't?"

"No." He said with a shrug, "I do not know her."

Lin continued to fuss with her scarf, and was now working her teeth into her lower lip. After a few moments, the corners of her mouth worked up in a smile and she said, "Alright."

_Now Lin is happy. She was jealous. _

Deciding to ignore B-4's gloating, Data continued to watch Lin with a kind of fascination that was truly beginning to bother him. The night before he had made some very illuminating discovers through the scans he had conducted on her implant. He had, as yet, been unable to decide how to discuss the matter with Lin, and no doubt that was then source of his current distraction.

Yes. That must be it.

He decided that getting Lin to talk would be the best way of manufacturing an opportunity to discuss the implant.

"After we have completed the assignment here, where are we going?"

Her pace slowly considerably as she glanced up at him, "Our next stop is a small supply depot used by traders in this sector. It's, um…." She swallowed hard and looked away.

"It is what?" He pressed. When she did not respond, he finally decided to be blunt, "Lin, are you concerned about something? I have the impression that you wish to tell me something."

He eyes were fixed away. At first, he thought she was merely avoiding him again, but slowly her eyes widened and her pupils dilated. "Oh, no…." She gasped.

Up ahead, perhaps fifty years or so, there was a noticeable shift in the crowd. People were moving to the inside of the walkway, as if avoiding some obstruction. Only, the obstruction was getting closer, and the people were giving the 'obstruction' curious and even hostile looks. Finally, Data caught sight of two individuals in gunmetal grey uniforms.

A man and a woman, both with short jet black hair and skin just barely more flesh toned than Data's, were walked with an arrogant, entitled purpose. Their alien features were most pronounced in their ears, which were long with tight horizontal ridges that narrowed and disappeared into their hairlines. They seemed to neither acknowledge nor care about the obvious disfavor coming from the crowd as they continued along their path. The woman held a scanning device, which she consulted every few seconds.

"Oh, no. No…." Lin breathed frantically.

Before Data could enquire about the aliens, Lin grabbed his hand and turned around, pulling him. He followed immediately as they retraced their steps only a few yards and turned down a congested pedestrian street centered with potted trees. There were many more people here, as the area seemed to be a focal point of several entertainment establishments.

"Lin, what is wrong?" He said, for she was still pulling him and running, looking over her shoulder every few seconds. Getting no response, he slowed and pulled her back.

"No! Come on!" She hissed, grabbed his hand with both of hers now.

"Who are those people? Why are you afraid of them?"

"I…I'm not afraid." She stammered, "We just need to go now."

Data gripped her hands in return, for she was obviously upset and he did not like it. He guided her out of the congested path to an empty place behind one of the potted trees. She continued to watch the path behind him with growing agitation.

"Who are they?" He said again.

"Listen." She said, moving very close to him, "I…I changed my mind. Alright? I don't want to take you to the Directors."

Realization struck him, "Are those two people Directors?"

When she replied, the words fell out of her in a rush. "Yes. Sometimes the Vorta do what they call 'presence missions.' It's when they beam down to a non-Dominion location or a place that has been giving the Dominion trouble, and just let their presence be known. It's a psychological game. That probably all they're doing, but I don't want them to see you."

"I do not understand." Data said, dropping his voice, "You said that you thought the Directors had probably built me. That they would know how to restore my memories."

She cringed, as if his words were actually causing her pain, "I…I just said that so you wouldn't cause trouble! I'm sorry!"

"You lied to me?" There was enough hurt in his voice that he actually surprised himself.

"No! At first I really thought…but…We just have to get away now. Please! I don't want them to get you."

Get him? That was a very particular turn of phrase, and not one that he liked in the slightest. Unable to ignore her genuine concerns, he nodded once and followed her again through the crowd. After a few minutes they reached a turnoff into another pedestrian street, but this one was dark, the shops obviously closed for the evening.

Lin removed her transporter device from her pocket and moved close to him. When she placed her hand on his arm she glanced up at him.

"I'm sorry, Data. Please don't hate me."

"I do not hate you." He assured her, "Everything will be alright. I no longer wished to meet the Directors anyway."

She frowned as if she wasn't sure she believed him, but said nothing. She used her thumb to work the few small controls on the device. Data heard B-4 just as the transporter beam was en engulfing them.

_Causation. Lin saw the Directors and that _caused _her to become frightened. See, Data? I understand causation. _

Data could hardly argue with that.


	20. You Again!

**XX.**

"_I wouldn't know how to _live!_"_

As soon as she felt the carpeted deck beneath her feet, Lin tried to move toward the command console. It was an infuriating few seconds, however, before the transporter beam released her and she was free to move. She dove at the controls as if her life depended on it.

"What are you doing?" Data demanded.

"We're leaving!" She said, "I doubt they're here because of us, but I don't want to risk it."

"Risk?" Data's voice was low and thoughtful, as if he was trying to figure out what she was thinking, "Why are you afraid, Lin? I thought that the Directors—."

"They'll take you!" She cried, turning to face him. Panic like she had never felt before consumed her, for what had she ever had to fear in her entire life? She had never fallen behind schedule, and the few instances in which she had gone without food had been troublesome but never terrifying. This—_this—_was terrifying. She finally had something to lose.

Data was watching her with a mix of anger and concern. The two combined left his face remarkably blank. "Why did you lie to me? Why did you tell me that you thought the Directors could help me?"

Lin shuddered and looked away. It was all over now, wasn't it? Even if the Directors never discovered him, he would not wish to remain with someone he couldn't trust. And then there was the young man who had been looking for him, the one who had the same simple features as Data._ That _still plagued her thoughts. It was obvious to her now, for she had ignored it then, that the young man must have been from the people who had built Data. Why else would he look the same? It was obvious that Data had been created in their image.

"I didn't…in the beginning." She worked the controls, bringing the engines online, "I assumed the Directors, or maybe even the founders, were responsible for you because they're the most the powerful force in the quadrant, even the galaxy. They _had _to create someone like you."

Data shook his head, "You said you lied to me to keep me from causing trouble. What did you mean?"

How could she hope to lie now? He had a perfect memory. Ha! That would almost be funny if she wasn't so heart-broken. His past was a blur, and yet there was no doubt he had every word she had ever spoken to him on instant recall.

"I…It doesn't matter." She stammered, running her fingers over the controls, "It doesn't matter now. If we just get to the next scheduled assignment in time to—Oh, no!"

Data actually widened his eyes in reaction to her outburst. No doubt he had just realized the same thing as she.

"My task! I still haven't done it!" She gripped the sides of her head and almost lowered her forehead to the console. She had almost left without completing her task. How could she do that? How could she have forgotten? Thirteen years of schedules and she had never done such a thing!

"We will see to it now." Data assured her. His tone had softened, but she doubted he had forgotten anything. He would want answers.

She nodded miserably. She had no choice. There was not going to be any grand escape from the planet, not when doing so meant her task would go undone and the clock would start ticking. She could almost feel her implant burning a hole in the back of her neck. She knew what happened when Taskers failed to complete an assignment, when they failed to check in at their stops and reset the waiting death attached to each of them. She had seen it. Once.

He was still looking at her, waiting for a response to his question.

"I was trying to help myself." She muttered finally. Her voice was so low and miserable, only Data could have heard it.

"What do you mean?"

She turned to face him, but wasn't looking at him. Shame was not an emotion she had much experience with. It was true that the Directors—the Vorta—dealt in shame with the Taskers, but it was a shame built on guilt. She had been raised, _engineered, _to believe that her very existence and everything she had was owed to them. Disobedience was ingratitude, and thus shameful. But _this _shame….

For the first time in her life, Lin actually felt that she had done something wrong.

"I believed you came from the Directors, at first, but after a while it didn't make sense. You don't look like them or any race I had ever seen. And you don't behave—." She cringed, cutting herself off. What she meant to say was that Data did not act like any race she had ever encountered that had anything to do with the Dominion. He had helped her without reason. He had been genuine in his desire to not be left alone at the crash site. And then the memories had started; dancing, playing instruments, an animal called a 'Spot', all the disjointed things he had told her about. It was then she had known for certain that he had nothing to do with the Dominion.

And yet she had continued on.

"Lin?" Data pressed.

"I thought they would be pleased with having you. I was going to turn you over to them to gain favor. It happens sometimes, when Taskers go beyond their duty to benefit the Founders. We're sometimes…rewarded."

His eyes fell to the floor. "You were going to turn me over for your freedom?"

"Freedom!" She laughed crazily and covered her face with her hands, "No Tasker gets freedom. Ever. Extra rations, more time between assignments, maybe. I'm so sorry, Data. It was my intent for all of a few days, but then I…I…."

"You changed your mind." He said.

She dropped her hands and realized, with some alarm, that he was kneeling on the deck in front of her, his eyes firmly fixed on her.

"Do not cry, Lin. I am not angry."

She gasped, "Cry? What are you talking about—?"

Data lifted the end of the scarf that was still around her neck and wiped it across her cheek. She looked down and was shocked to see the old grey fabric darkened where her tears had stained it. She didn't cry. She never cried. Lin was certain that she had never cried once in her entire life.

Her barely memorable infancy did not count.

"You aren't angry?" She said in disbelief.

He sighed, "I was, perhaps, being untruthful to make you feel better. Yes, I am angry, but I will try to understand. And we must discuss it later after we complete your task and move on. I have no wish to meet the Dir—the _Vorta_."

Lin nodded. She had called the Directors by their species name earlier, so Data now knew that too.

"What do we need to do?" He asked as he stood and moved toward the tool locker.

"I need to perform some upgrades to a covert surveillance probe. The rulers on this planet regularly change their comm frequencies and dampening methods to try to keep the Dominion from spying."

"Why do they do that?" Data said, facing her.

Lin sighed. She was still uncomfortable, and was sure he was just trying to distract her by talking about the task. She shrugged her shoulders, "They wish to hide things from the Dominion, to place themselves at a greater advantage."

"I was not referring to the rulers of this planet. I was referring to the Dominion." Data stepped toward her, "Why do they spy?"

"W—well…." She stammered, for his question didn't make sense to her. It was like asking why people breathe. "So…So they can keep track of these people, determine if they're a threat to their interests, or learn information that will help them maintain order."

"Order?" Data's tone was different now, and his expression had become somewhat stern, "Do you not mean 'dominance'? They spy so that they may learn information that will allow them to maintain their dominance."

"Yes."

"Are these people a threat to the Dominion?" He continued.

Lin shook her head. She didn't like where this was going, and she definitely did not like the growing look of disapproval on his face. "Hardly. They don't even compare."

"And yet the Dominion spies on them. They send emissaries to the surface to frighten the inhabitants, to play 'psychological games', as _you_ said. Am I mistaken?"

"No. Why are you asking me these questions?" She wiped at her face suddenly, realizing that her face was still streaked with those humiliating tears.

"I do not like the Directors." He said flatly, as if that were an answer to her question, "Judging from what I have learned so far, including the clandestine nature of all of the assignment I have assisted you with, I can only determine that the Directors are tyrants."

"What?" She balked.

"You are a slave, Lin. Slavery is wrong, and they use you to enforce their tyranny over others."

For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She knew such opinions were held by people—_non _Dominion people—but that was because they were jealous. That was what she had always believed.

"I…I may wish that my position with the Dominion was a little, eh, different, but they keep the quadrant in order and they provide everything I need."

"I am sure they like you to think that."

"Think that? It's true!" She didn't want to discuss this, just as she had not wanted to discuss her collar when he had discovered that. It was just….It just _was. _There was nothing anyone could do about it. People had to accept reality.

Data looked away for a moment, his brow knitted in serious thought. Finally, he said, "If you could leave, would you?"

Leave? What, this planet? "I can't, yet. I have to complete my task before I run out of time."

"I am not referring to this place. I am referring to your situation within the Dominion. Would you leave if you could?"

Lin's jaw fell open and she began to tremble. As insane as it was, she actually began to look around her, terrified that someone, some_how_, had overheard him. Talk like that was forbidden. Talk like that always made it back to the Directors, and then…then….

She shook her head vehemently, "Don't say that! I can't leave. I can _never _leave."

"Yes you can." He countered, "I believe I can remove the implant on your neck and release the collar. If it contains a tracking device, we will destroy it and then you will be free to go where you wish."

She stepped back from him. She could feel her head getting hot and a rising panic sending her stomach in flips. No. No, no, no! Life away from the Dominion was a life of inferiority. Non-Dominion peoples were inferior, they were _sub_-species. She was superior. _She _served a higher purpose!

Didn't she?

It was what she had always been taught. Her earliest memories were those of a Vorta face, smiling arrogantly and telling her how lucky she was to serve the Founders, how unique and superior she was compared to the herds of inferiors who lived under the Dominion's might. She had never objected. She had never asked questions. Not once.

"I can't." She gasped. "It's impossible!"

"It is not impossible." Data crossed to the food crate that still lay under the nearby table. He removed a data pad that he had, quite obviously, hidden there. "Examine these results. I believe I can disable the implant rather quickly before removing it."

"How did you—?"

"I conducted scans on your implant and collar while you were asleep." He replied. Lin saw the faintest look of embarrassment on his face, but both of them were too angry to let it linger.

"No. I can't risk it. Please, let's just go complete my task and move on." She pushed past him to the tool locker, then remembered that the tools were already laid out on the table.

"I do not understand." Data said. His brow was wrinkled into an honest show of confusion, "You understand that you are a slave, but you do not wish to escape?"

She grabbed the strap on the tool bag and twisted it in her hands, "Please. We need to go now."

"Do you enjoy being a slave?" Data pressed, "Have I been mistaken?"

"Stop calling me that." She muttered.

"Lin, I am trying to understand why you are reluctant—."

"Stop talking! Please!" She slammed the bag down on the table, "I can't leave! I wouldn't know what to do. I wouldn't know where to go. I wouldn't know how to _live!_ Don't you _get _that?"

He had a response. It was written all over him, from the way he shifted his feet to the fact that he purposely looked away from her. But, whatever it was, he decided to keep it to himself. Data stepped forward and took the tool bag from her with nothing more than a disapproving expression.

"Fine." She muttered. She stood in the middle of the floor and waited for him to join her as she readied the transporter. She was just about to activate it when Data spoke.

"I do not intend to dismiss the topic, Lin."

She grinded her teeth and pressed the control, "No. Of course you don't."

(*)

"I'm telling you, the signal was perfect." Anna insisted. She stepped back from the console and moved toward another one, "I was scanning the vessels in orbit that might fit the description we're looking for, and I detected B-4's presence."

"Where?" Lore joined her on the control platform and looked over the displays. They were such a mess of overlapping readings that he wondered at her ability to read them. This planet was a technological nightmare.

Anna clenched her jaw angrily, "I have the coordinates but the vessel moved on. There's so much damn interference here that I can't even extrapolate its trajectory. Look at that."

Lore followed her gaze up to the viewport. The vessels in orbit were so tightly packed on each other that, from a distance, it almost looked as if they were touching. It was ridiculous!

"They transported down!"

Both Lore and Anna turned as Blake came running onto the bridge. He stopped just at the stairs leading to the platform and grinned, "When you detected B-4, it was just before the signal scattered. I've seen that before. It's exactly the same result you get when someone dematerializes in a transporter beam. He was onboard the vessel, wherever it is, and went back down to the surface!"

"Can you track where they went?" Lore demanded.

Blake's jubilant expression faltered, "Not exactly."

It was at that moment that Picard and Worf entered the bridge. Picard held a datapad in his hand was consulting the results with a dark expression.

"As it turns out," He began, "The signal interference we've been dealing with on this planet is not a result of congestion. It's entirely intentional."

Lore had begun to guess as much, though he was not certain why it mattered at this point. Of course, intentional interference was always more difficult to deal with and overcome. It probably explained why Blake was looking so forlorn.

"That's why you can't track he transport signal, isn't it?" Lore said, looking at Blake, "The people who run this planet don't want people being tracked."

Blake bit his lip, unsure.

"From the best I can tell, yeah." Anna said as she took a look at the pad Picard handed to her, "It's all about the Dominion, probably. If people feel completely safe here, they're more likely to stop and do business. The Ferengi should take a page out of these people's book."

"But…?" Lore said, growing encouraged despite himself.

"But…" Anna said, grinning, "I think we can follow the scattering of the transporter signal to only a few locations. Maybe…." She moved to the console and pressed a few keys, "Maybe as few as four or five."

Lore resisted the urge to smile. Superstition held no sway with him, and yet he was reluctant to feel encouraged. His past experiences had never been too kind toward wishful thinking. It was better to be cautious.

"Since scans will likely be as useful as they have been thus far," Picard said, "I recommend we split up and try the possible transport sites at once. We don't know how much time we'll have before they move somewhere else. Lieutenant, did you detect any Romulan life signs as well?"

Anna shook her head, "I couldn't do a multi-part scan, Captain. I had to narrow it down to B-4."

"Understood. I want you to narrow down the possible transport sites as quickly as possible. There are only six of us, and I would prefer if Dr. Crusher remains here in case anyone needs medical assistance. The rest of us will take a transport site and conduct an area search."

Lore frowned, but did not object. He didn't like the idea of Anna going anywhere alone, but he would not embarrass her by saying so. Hopefully, there would be only four possible sites, and then he would be sure to go with her. Lore almost took a moment to laugh at himself. Since when had he started _hoping _for things?

"I've got four locations for certain, maybe five." Anna said. She was leaning over the console with Blake pressing in beside her. He was frowning at the screen.

"I signals are almost entirely equal," Blake muttered, "No one has more validity than another. We'll just have to follow all of them."

"Are there four or five?" Lore said, keeping his voice neutral.

"Five. Definitely." Blake replied. He continued to sort through the readouts as Picard joined him and Anna took a data pad to Worf.

Lore clenched his jaw and turned away, hoping that Anna wouldn't see the expression on his face. He hardly needed a reminder of why he would have preferred Anna to stay aboard the _Enterprise_, and it was because of a situation just like this. Humans were weak enough, in Lore's lofty opinion, and a half El'Aurian Human was even weaker. Still, the planet was relatively safe. It wasn't as if they were going into some kind of war zone, and Anna was hardly helpless. He reminded himself of that very purposefully.

"Lore?"

He looked up, realizing that he had been staring at a blank section of the console, "Yes?"

Anna tilted her head and gave him a searching look, "Something on your mind?"

"No."

"Sure." She gave him a wry smile and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Because you don't usually have several _dozen_ things on your mind at any given time, right?"

"Oh. You want to know about the warp realignment I've been considering?" He said with a smile, "Or maybe the repairs I have to make to Teni's birthday gift?"

She shook her head slowly and pressed her hand against his arm, nudging him down the stairs on the other side of the platform. Lore sighed and went along, knowing full well that he had once again failed to conceal some inner thought or feeling from Anna's near telepathic observation. He loved it and hated it.

Though, he mostly loved it.

She grabbed his hand just a few feet down the port side corridor, once they were out of earshot of the others. Her expression was not confused at all. In fact, she looked like she was trying not to smile.

"What?" He said, averting his gaze.

"I'm not helpless, you know." She said, "And if you were thinking about getting Doctor Crusher to transport down so that I can stay behind, think again."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said in his worst imitation of pure innocence.

"Yeah. Okay." She sighed, "I would like to remind you that I _am _capable of taking care of myself, not to mention others. I hope Dr. Maddox still has a limp."

Lore flashed her a surprised—_pleasantly _surprised—look.

She shrugged her shoulders and ran her fingers down the side of his cheek, a motion that he loved more than she could possibly imagine. Or maybe she did imagine.

"Lore, it's fine." She insisted, "You're going to get pretty frustrated if you try to be at my side every moment for the rest of my life."

_The rest of your life…._ He liked the sound of that. In fact, he liked it so much that he grinned in a truly ridiculous fashion. He doubted she would have said something like _'for the time we're together' _or _'for the time being'_, but hearing it in solid words was still amazing. Maybe Blake was right. Maybe he was just being foolish. Anna was intelligent and thoughtful. If she thought there were limitations to them being together, she would have considered them already and would have said something.

He was suddenly very aware of the small emerald ring tucked securely in his jacket pocket.

"What's so funny?" She said with a laugh.

"Funny?" He shook his head, "What do you mean?"

"You're smiling like I just told a great joke."

"Oh, no. Not a _joke _at all." He assured her. He leaned forward and gave her what he intended to be a quick kiss, but instead wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the deck .

"Whoa!" She gasped, stumbling back down to her feet. It was wrong that he got so much enjoyment out of her mystified expression, but he was feeling particularly mischievous suddenly.

Leaning down to her height, he smiling playfully, "Come on, _Lieutenant. _We have five away missions to plan. I can't have you constantly pulling me away from my duties just because you're so _handsy._"

"Handsy!" Anna gasped. Her jaw fell open in a wonderful combination of outrage and amusement.

Lore shrugged and continued back toward the bridge, truly enjoying her confusion. He knew what he was going to do now. In fact, he was surprised that he had ever been uncertain. It was now just a question of when and how, but he would have to think about that later. They had pressing concerns.

"I want everyone to be armed. Standard phasers." Picard ordered as Lore and Anna moved back into the room. The Captain gave them both a fleeting glance, resting his eyes on Anna and the curious look she was giving Lore. "Are there any problems, Lieutenant?"

Anna looked up, and grinned. "No, Captain. Lore was just telling me how important his _duties _are to him."

Lore turned an expression on her that was nothing less than outraged. The others looked at him.

"Duties?" Crusher said with a laugh, folding her arms across her chest.

"Absolutely." Anna said, moving toward the console. She gave him a covert smirk that told him he was about to pay for his 'handsy' comment. "You know, his _Starfleet_ duties."

"Whaaat?" Blake belted a laugh let his jaw fall open.

Lore clenched his jaw like a vice. "I do _not _have Starfleet duties. Of any kind!"

Anna merely shrugged and applied her focus to the console. The others shot Lore looks that were decidedly…amused. Even Picard looked a little self satisfied, as if he had just gotten confirmation of something he suspected.

"I'm not a Starfleet officer." Lore sneered, "I do what I want."

"That's great, Lore." Crusher said, just barely holding her laughter in check, "By the way, when you return from the away mission, be sure to report to the science lab so I can conduct your annual physical. Those are the rules, you know."

"I am not a Starfleet officer!" Lore belted again. He was beginning to grow genuinely irritated by the smug looks he was getting. He threw up his hands and practically snarled as he went to the storage locked under the console and pulled it open, removing several hand phasers. He picked up one and tossed it at Blake, hard.

"Ooff!" Blake caught the phaser against his stomach, "Gee. Thanks."

"Let's get this over with." Lore said, "The longer we wait, the more likely we might miss them."

Picard, who had clearly gotten his fill of the teasing atmosphere, started going through the away mission plans with Worf as Blake transferred the information to a few datapads. When Anna caught Lore's eyes and smiled again, he replied with an irritated glare, or his best imitation of.

"I'm going to get you for this." He whispered.

"I'm terrified." She said sweetly.

Blake bounded back up the stairs as he was pulling his jacket back on, quite oblivious to Lore and Anna's conversation. "I've got the highrise location. Two and a half miles up." He whistled appreciatively, "It's going to be one hell of a view."

Lore leaned over the console and looked at the five transporter locations, purposely searching for whichever place was most likely to be dangerous. "I'll take the settlement near the shipyards, here."

"Are we ready?" Picard asked. He slipped one of the phasers into his jacket pocket and waited for everyone to circle around.

"I have a question." Blake said. He shifted his eyes nervously to Lore, then back to Picard, "I think we're pretty much agreed that B-4—or Data, I guess—doesn't have his memory intact. What should we do if he runs or…." Blake trailed off with a shrug.

"Or tries to attack you?" Lore supplied.

There were nods all around, except from Picard. Lore looked at the Captain as he spoke, "Data is still Data, with or without his memory. He won't attack you unless you threaten him."

"But if he refuses to come with us?" Worf said reluctantly, "We may have to become a 'threat' in order to secure him."

"From what Lore has explains so far, it's likely that Data would be experiences some memory reformation. We knows, for instance, that he is aware of his name and most or all of his technical skills are intact." Picard said, "If anyone of you locates him, I want you to send a confirmation signal immediately and then try to talk to him. For all we know, he may recognize one of us immediately and this will be a moot point."

Lore recognized the skepticism in Picard's voice, which was just as well since Lore harbored his own pessimistic thoughts. Data was still traveling around with this Tasker, a Romulan, so they could at least discern that his memory was still faulty enough that he could not recognize a Romulan on sight. Lore found it difficult to believe that Data would be willingly traveling with a Romulan, given the untrustworthy history of that species, though he knew that all of his thoughts were based on assumptions and limited information. He could only hope—there was that word again!—that his assumptions would be clarified soon enough.

"Fine. Let's go."

Dr. Crusher took her place on the control platform as the rest of them headed toward the tiny shuttle bay for transport.

(*)

_I wish I could see. I like to see things. Data, can you make it so that I can see?_

Data shook his head imperceptibly and shot a quick glance at Lin. She was still resolutely focused on the support beam in front of them, the side of which was opened to reveal a litany of complex inner workings.

"I am sorry, B-4." Data thought, "I do not yet know the cause of your limited senses and cannot correct them. I will attempt to do so when I can."

_Okay. Lin could help you. I think she is smart. _

Data almost smiled, though he was sure why. "Lin is very intelligent." Data agreed silently, "But I do not wish to inform her of your presence at this time. I am not certain how she would react."

_Okay. _There was an obvious note of disappointment in B-4's response.

Data turned and surveyed the room behind them with a quick eye, though _room_ seemed an utterly inappropriate word. They were in a massive open space several hundred yards wide, which occupied an entire floor of one of the tallest skyscrapers in the mega-city. The opposing walls were so far away, that a normal person would have had to squint to see them. All four walls of the room were perfect sheets of glass, giving a view of the clouds and the lights below that were truly beautiful. The only obstructions to the huge open space were scattered groups of chairs and sofas, and the occasional potted tree, along with the center structure housing the elevators. Other than that, the space did not seem to serve any purpose.

"What is this place?" Data asked, keeping his voice low. Every little sound echoed and re-echoed off the marble floors.

"It's an observation area for tourists." She replied quickly. She kept her eyes firmly fixed on the communications device inside the pillar, as if she were purposely trying not to look at him.

Data sighed. He had told her that he was not going to dismiss the topic they had discussed, and he meant it. Obviously, she was still hoping to avoid it.

"If this is a public location, will we not be discovered here?" He said.

"No." She closed a tiny panel inside the pillar and moved on to the next one, "This place is only open to the public during daytime hours, and has very limited security because there is nothing valuable or strategic here."

"And that is why the Dominion chose to hide the surveillance device here." Data looked at the pillar and frowned. When they had arrived, the pillar had been utterly seamless, even to his advanced vision. It had taken only a few swipes of a special device from Lin to make the secret panel appear and open. The Dominion was spying on an entire society with a device barely a meter long, hidden in a support pillar at a tourist attraction.

It was but one more reason why Data wanted to get away…and take Lin with him.

"I am sorry if I upset you, Lin." He removed the next tool she would need from the bag and held it out toward her. "I only wish to help."

"I know that's what you think." She said, closing her eyes. Her tone was not sarcastic or harsh. "That you're helping me, but…. I don't know if I could do something like that. Do you understand?"

He nodded even though he most definitely did not understand. It was not due to stubbornness or a lack of trying. He simply could not empathize with the desire to live in forced servitude, and therefore could not understand it. He was willing to acknowledge, however, that his past was probably nothing like Lin's.

"We're almost done with this." Lin continued, "There were just a few alterations this time."

She was determined to avoid the subject, and Data was determined to not allow it.

"May I ask you a question, Lin?"

She hesitated, "You've never asked permission before. Yes."

"If it was no longer your intention to turn me over to the Directors, why did you not inform me of that and leave me somewhere? Why did you continue to take me with you?"

Lin's entire body stiffened. It took her a moment to make her hands move again, and when she did she fumbled and nearly lost her tool in the depths of the pillar.

"I, eh…." She rubbed her sleeve over her face in a very strange way, which left Data wondering if he was overheated. Her cheeks were suddenly very flushed. "You, um…. You got all that food for me, and…and you helped me with my assignments when I was ill…." She trailed off again.

Data's shoulders sank with disappointment, and he was not even sure why he was disappointed. He said, "I see. You wished to keep me with you because I am useful, because I can work. I understand."

"What? No!" She gasped, "That's—oh! That's not what I meant!"

"Then what do you—?" Data's attention was diverted to the panel as one of the crystalline devices spun up and changed colors.

Lin sighed and nodded a few times, "That's it. We're done." She closed the panel and began waving a device over the front. Slowly, the panel seam began to disappear into the smooth white surface, indistinguishable from stone.

"What did you mean?" Data said again.

"I…. You helped me, and….." She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw as if what she was saying was painful to utter. Data looked at her curiously, unable understand what she meant or what she was thinking. He had a possibility in mind, though, and it was one that actually lifted his spirits to a shocking degree. Could she, possibly, be trying to say that she…?

"Did you hear that?" Lin's eyes went wide as she looked all around the massive room.

Data nodded. How could he have missed it? He was allowing his thoughts to occupy him too much. "Yes. It sounded like a transporter beam. I believe it came from that direction."

Just as Data lifted his hand to point toward the center island of turbo lifts, a man came jogging around the side and skidded to a halt, his shoes making a loud squeak on the polished floor.

He was young and had dark brown hair worn in an unkempt manner. His facial features were simple and…just like Data's. Data stared, his eyes wide in a curious kind of shock.

"Data!" Blake gasped, his youthful features pulling up in a wide grin. He stepped forward, about to say something else, then suddenly reached into his jacket pocket.

"Don't move!" Lin demanded. She reached into the waistband at the small of her back and pulled a disruptor, "Drop that! Now!"

Blake raised the communicator and held his other hand open in a calming fashion. He squinted across the distance, then frowned, "You again!" Blake's complexion appeared to go green for some reason as he stared at Lin.

"Lin, what are you doing?" Data demanded, his eyes fixed on her disruptor, "Do you know him?"

"He was looking for you!" She shouted, moving forward, "On one of the last planets, he was asking about you. He must be following us somehow!"

"Why did you not tell me?" He looked at Blake again. The man was so terribly familiar, but even if he were not, the fact that he obviously came from the same species that Data was modeled after spoke volumes.

"Data, it's me. Blake!" Blake took a step forward, then shuffled back when Lin jabbed the disruptor at him. "We've been looking for you for more than a week. Do you remember anything?"

"Don't listen to him!" Lin cried, "You don't know who he is or who he works for! He could be trying to capture you for some reason."

"Capture me…." Data shifted his eyes back and forth. He could not explain why, but he felt no threat from the young man. None at all. Yet, he could not understand why Lin was so obviously terrified. Yes. That was the look on her face. Terror.

"Data, listen to me." Blake continued.

"Drop it!" Lin cried again.

Blake reluctantly dropped his communicator, causing it to bounce several yards away. He still kept his eyes fixed on Data, "Listen to me, Data. You're an officer aboard the _Enterprise, _in Starfleet. Dr. Maddox tried to kidnap you, and that's part of why you can't remember anything. You play the violin and, eh, you have a cat named Spot! You have two brothers, Lore and B-4."

_Blake! I like Blake! Blake is my friend! _

Data gasped while B-4's excited chatter continued in his head. B-4 knew this man, recognized his voice? And he called him a friend? What he did next set everything that followed into motion. He took one step toward Blake.

"No!" Lin cried. She dove forward and crabbed his arm with his free hand, "Don't! Come with me! We can escape!"

"Lin, if people have been searching for me, they may be my friends. They may know how help me—."

"He's lying!" Her eyes were little more than sharp brown daggers as she glared at Blake, "He's just trying to capture you. Probably for the same reasons I thought the Dominion would want you."

"That's not true!" Blake shouted, "Data, we came searching for you because you're our friend. And B-4 too."

The mention of B-4's name caused Data to widen his eyes in another show of surprise. If he could be certain of nothing else, he at least accepted that this man knew him. Or, he knew _of _him. Data took another step toward Blake, a question ready of his lips, when Lin suddenly darted ahead of him to block his path.

The move put her much closer to Blake, giving him an opening. He lashed out, slapping the disruptor from her hands. It went skidding across the floor several yards. Data watched with a kind of paralysis as Blake dove, not for the disruptor, but for the communicator he had initially dropped. Lin went after him, grabbing his arm.

"Just go away!" She shouted. Her voice was not hostile, but cracked in a strange show of emotion, almost as if she close to tears.

"Get off of me!" Blake tried to reach his other hand toward the communicator, but Lin managed to slap it a few more yards away.

Data moved now, unwilling to see Lin insured by the unknown man. But, his assistance did not appear necessary when Lin suddenly pulled he arm back and punched the man squarely in his ribcage.

Blake's eyes shot wide just before clenching shut. He didn't even make a sound, the wind having been completely knocked out of him. He fell on his back and gasped a few choice expletives as soon as he was able to draw a breath.

"Lin! Stop!" Data shouted. He was afraid that she had been preparing to level another assault on the man, when she suddenly scrambled across the floor and retrieved her disruptor. She then turned and fired it at the communicator, reducing it to a black mark on the floor. She pointed it at Blake, who was regaining his feet, but lowered it almost immediately.

She wasn't going to kill him.

"Let's go. Before he finds a way to contact his people." She rushed to Data's side and took his arm. This time, Data was too preoccupied to acknowledge, once again, that her touching him was not necessary for the transporter to work.

"No." Data insisted, "I wish to speak to him. You should not have attacked him, Lin. You are being irrational."

"I'm being sensible!" She countered, "You _know _me! You can _trust_ me!"

He was going to object again, and the fact that he made a move toward Blake told her so. He only realized he could no longer move when his vision became clouded by the transporter beam.

"Damnit!" Blake shouted as he reached out.

"Lin!" Data's voice disappeared, along with the room, as he and Lin vanished.


	21. Interference

**XXI.**

"_I'm dead."_

"Lin, I must demand an explanation from you."

She rushed to the console and began the process of bringing the engines online, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. That man was looking for you. He had your picture and was showing it around, asking people if they had seen you. I…I told him I didn't recognize you."

"Why?"

"To be safe!" Her words were rushed and near panicked.

Data frowned, "That does not explain why you would not tell me about it. He knew things about me and B-4 recognized—." He snapped his mouth shut. It was lucky for him that Lin was too obviously flustered to have noticed his misstep. She hardly seemed to be listening.

"We are not leaving." He moved forward and blocked the console with his arm, "I wish to speak to that man."

"No!" She cried, "He's just going to lie to you and convince you to go with him! He probably wants you for the same reasons the Dominion would. They would…would _study_ you!"

"You do not know that. In fact, the evidence we do have does not favor your conclusion." He glanced at the console. The navigational heading was already in place, indicating their next scheduling work stop.

Try as he might, he could not imagine a probable scenario to explain Lin's behavior. Thus far she had not shown herself to be unstable or reactionary. In fact, she was practical and logic to an extreme degree…until now. She wanted him to stay with her. That much was obvious, but why? He had already asked her that question. She had danced around the answer, had mentioned the food he had gotten for and the help he had given with the tasks. Those responses had led him to think that it was his utility that made her want to keep him around, but then she had objected. She had been about say something when the man, Blake, had appeared. He found himself wondering what she would have said. He found himself _hoping _what she would have said….

But he had to be practical.

Perhaps she had been about to tell him another lie.

"Are you attempting to keep me with you because you do intend to deliver me to the Dominion?"

That finally drew her attention from the console. "No! I wouldn't do that to you! If I wanted to do that I wouldn't have run from those Directors. Now, please, just let me get us underway so we aren't late to the next—."

"We are ahead of schedule."

She bit her lower lip, then went for the console again. He blocked her again.

"I am going back to the surface to speak with Blake."

"Blake!" She sneered, clenching her fists.

"That was what he called himself." It was also what B-4 had called him, but Data wasn't going to mention that. "I have no right to control your movements, Lin. If you wish to continue on without me, that is your choice, but I would prefer that you wait or accompany me."

"Don't do that, Data. Please." She pressed her hands together as if trying to calm herself, "He might have reinforcements this time. What if they try to take you by force?"

"Then I will resist." He said. He forced a kind of smile in place of a shrug, letting her know that they had little way to guess what would happen. She looked entirely unconvinced. After a moment, she snapped her head up with wide, determined eyes.

"Data, when you crashed on that planet you were alone."

"Yes." He said, not understanding her meaning.

"You weren't wearing your inform. Oh! That picture of you that the man showed me had you in a uniform of sorts, with rank insignia, but you were wearing civilian clothes when I found you."

"That is all true, but I do not see how that pertains to anything."

She bit her lower lip again before she said, "I think you were running. Think about it. You were alone, no longer in your uniform, and the craft you were in was very common and nondescript. Maybe you were trying to avoid somebody. Maybe you were running from these people who are looking for you now."

He opened his mouth to object, but stopped. He could not deny that something in the explanation made sense, or at least warranted some critical thought. Why had he been in civilian clothes and alone? If he had been conducting a mission in the course of his duties—whatever those were—would he not have been wearing this uniform she mentioned?

_Maybe you were running away from Captain Maddox, _B-4 said gleefully, glad that he could offer help. _Captain Maddox is bad and would chase us so that he could get us. _

Data frowned. Captain Maddox. Maddox. The name brought to him a sense of familiarity that was impossible to ignore. He even saw a face suddenly. Yes, he was sure of it. A tall man, the same species as Blake, with tan skin and an arrogant carriage. He saw him pacing around a room they had both occupied, touching the items in it as if he had had a right to do so. Maddox had said something to him, the only thing Data could remember at the moment; _'One way or the other, you will be reporting.'_

A sense of genuine dread welled up in him.

"Take more time to think about it. Give it some critical thought before you do something dangerous." She touched his arm that was blocking the console. "We'll continue to the next stop. It's just in the next system. If you decide you want to come back…." She trailed off miserably.

His curiosity was, perhaps, getting the better of him. Maybe he was contemplating a reckless meeting that could result in some kind of capture. The newfound thoughts about Captain Maddox were not encouraging him to stay either. The very sound of the name brought a sense of danger to his mind. But it was only one side of the current issue.

"I will agree." He said, "But you have still not explained to me why you wish me to remain with you. I am…suspicious, Lin. I am sorry." And saddened. Surprisingly saddened….

She took her hand away from him and fumbled with her collar. Data now recognized it as her signature nervous tick. "I…I don't have a reason to want you to leave." She shrugged, "You're not a nuisance or anything."

Data lifted his brow and made a wry smile. "I am not a nuisance. Thank you."

She cringed in a strange way, "That's…um…that's not what I meant."

"I did not actually think so. I doubt you would make proactive efforts to keep me here just because I am 'not at a nuisance'." He watched her as she continued to cringe and run her fingers under her collar, when a new thought struck him, "Ah. Do you like me, Lin?"

"What!" She burst. She stepped back until she bumped into the arm of the control chair and almost fell into it.

"Do you like my company? Is that why you wish me to stay?" His wry smile was still in place. It was a strange expression for him, and probably looked like amusement. In fact, it was him trying to hide his delight.

"Company? Y…yes. I enjoy your company."

Data grinned.

"We need to go." She insisted suddenly. She dropped into the control chair and set upon the controls again.

Data was delighted, to be sure, but not so much that he had completely forgotten himself. Lin's suggestion that he was running from these people looking for him held some probability, but it was still not enough to deter him from wishing to investigate for himself. He wanted to speak to Blake and whomever else was assisting him. Still, he did wish to have more time before doing so. He would question B-4 carefully to see if he could garner any information that might allow him to make a decision.

"I'm going to alter our warp field harmonics." She announced, rising from the chair, "It must be how they've been following us. There's no other explanation."

She moved to the back of the cabin and knelt over a floor panel. As she lifted the cover and began working on the components inside, Data glanced at the console. He still wanted to talk to them, but that was not going to happen if he was unable to find them again…or if they were unable to find him. He knew she would object, vehemently, to leaving the warp field as it was.

"B-4, I must ask you a question." Data thought.

_Okay. I like answering questions when I know the answers. When I do not know the answers, it is not fun. _

"I hope you know the answer then." Data replied, "Do you trust Blake?"

_Trust? I…I like Blake. He is my friend. _

"Do you know what trust means?"

_I do not know. _

"If you trust someone it means that you believe they would not do anything to harm you, or lie to you. It means that you are confident in their goodwill. Do you feel that way about Blake?"

_Yes. Blake is nice. Blake would not harm me, though Lore says humans can not harm me because they are weaker than me. I have to be 'very careful' with them. Dr. Soong told me to be 'very careful' and now Lore says I must be 'very careful'…._

Data allowed B-4's rambling to shift to a secondary place in his mind. He had to make a decision, and quickly. With no other option available, he decided to trust B-4.

"They shouldn't be able to follow us with just a few adjustments here." Lin called from her place at the rear of the cabin.

"I understand." While she was still turned away, he used the console to access the deflector control system. It took almost nothing to change the deflector output to emit a frequency identical the warp field that Lin was now changing. There was no way to be certain that the people following him would detect it and follow accordingly, but it was the best he could do.

"That's it." Lin announced. She came back to the control chair and gave him a relieved smile, "They won't be able to follow us now."

"Yes." He said, turning away.

He suddenly felt very foolish for having instructed B-4 on the meaning of trust.

(*)

"He's not responding. There is no signal from his communicator." Worf announced. He was standing over the console atop the bridge control platform. The Klingon's chocolate brown hair was speckled with a mix of pink and silver confetti.

"That's festive." Lore smirked as he approached the steps.

"My transport location was in the middle of some kind of carnival!" Worf growled. The look on his face made it quite clear that he was not in the mood for Lore's nonsense. "Ensign Blake is not responding to hails."

Lore's demeanor sobered at once. "He transported to the high-rise location. Where is Anna?"

"Here." She came around the corner then, along with Crusher. "Any luck?"

"Blake is not responding to hails." He told her.

"The Captain has already gone to Blake's location." Worf said. Before any further explanation could be given, the hum of a transporter beam filled the room. They all turned as Picard and Blake materialized in the center of the bridge. Picard stood straight and serious. Blake was hunched over and clutching his ribcage.

"What happened?" Lore demanded.

"That damned Romulan woman is what happened!" Blake groaned. "I found Data, Lore. He was there. It was just like we thought. He didn't recognize me and it didn't look like he knew what I was talking about. At first."

"At first?" Lore said, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. He…he must have recognized something I said or did. He looked like he was going to listen to me, but that Romulan woman—damn! I think my rib is cracked!"

"Stand still." Crusher demanded, pulling out a tricorder.

"If it's not going to kill you to keep talking, do it." Lore sighed.

"You're so touching, Lore." Blake grumbled, "Lin. Linera was her name, right? Anyway, she flipped out when it looked like Data was going to talk to me. She pulled a disruptor on me and started convincing Data to leave."

Lore frowned. It wasn't what he had expected. Hell, he wasn't sure what he had expected.

"Your rib _is _cracked." Crusher announced.

"Great." Blake muttered, "And that's another thing. She may look like a Romulan, but she's no normal one. You should have seen how fast she moved after I knocked the disruptor out of her hand. She's smaller than you, Anna, but it felt like a sledgehammer going into my side when she hit me. She…." Blake trailed off, his complexion going grey.

"Ensign?" Picard stepped forward while everyone else waited.

Blake cringed and glanced at everyone, "I saw her before. On the planet before last. She was one of the people I stopped to question about seeing Data."

Lore let his eyes shutter half way. He wasn't sure if he should yell at Blake or make fun of him. "And you couldn't recognize a Romulan when you saw one?"

"She was wearing a coat with a hood. I couldn't see her ears!" Blake shook his head miserably, "Damn, I should have picked up on how weird she was acting. I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter now." Picard said, giving Blake a somewhat reassuring look. "Start scanning the edge of the system for signs of their warp trail. If she was adamant about leaving I think we should assume that's exactly what they did."

Lore gritted his teeth in frustration. Why hadn't he taken the high-rise location! There was no point in lamenting it down, despite how much it angered him. Data and B-4 seemed perpetually just out of reach, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

Crusher continued to see after Blake, who now sat on the arm of the nearby sofa. He had one harm stretched over his head as Crusher held an ortho-regenerator against his side. He glanced up at Lore as he approached.

"Look, Lore, I really am sorry. I should have noticed she was the Tasker we were looking for back on that planet."

Lore sighed. Blake really was genuinely sorry, which took some of the steam out of Lore's frustration. He shrugged and forced himself to treat the situation lightly.

"Relax. If you keep apologizing, I'll eventually have to say something nice to reassure you, and you know I can't stand to do that."

Crusher rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a curse word.

Blake laughed, "Gee, I wouldn't think of putting you out."

Anna appeared at Lore's side with Crusher's med kit in hand. She opened it and handed her a hypospray.

"He's right. You don't have to apologize." Anna said. She had a smile on her face very similar to Lore's, "If a woman smaller than me just beat you up, I would say you've already paid your due."

"Oh, my God!" Blake cursed, "You're getting just as bad as him!"

"Ouch. I hope not." Anna laughed.

"And I was not 'beaten up'." He added, "But…there's something else. Something I thought was kind of strange. Data and her started arguing. He was asking her why she didn't tell him about me when I questioned her on the last planet. He wanted to listen to me, I think. She told him not to trust me, that I might be trying to capture him for the same reasons the Dominion would want him. Those were her exact words almost."

"So she was lying to him to get him to come with her. She probably had no means to force him, so she had to convince him." Lore said.

Blake shook his head, "Hey, I'm no Betazoid, but I definitely got the impression that she believed what she was saying. Maybe…." He sighed, "I don't know. I'm probably just imagining things."

Lore didn't say anything, but the suggestion did set his mind working. They had already guessed that Data was probably not being led to the Dominion, since the Romulan woman would have handed him over by now if that were her intention. Good. If that was the case, it meant that she was the only problem they would have to deal with.

Well, her _and _Data.

"Captain." Worf called. They all looked in his direction. "None of the warp signatures on the edge of the system match, but the sensors detected a frequency match in another system."

Anna frowned and went to the console. She looked over t screen for a moment before her jaw fell open, "This is a deflector shield signal, but it's set in a frequency range that you almost never see in deflector systems."

"The exact same frequency as the warp field?" Lore almost grinned in his disbelief. "Blake, you said Data wanted to talk to you?"

"Yeah."

It was too much of coincidence. Deflector systems didn't typically operate in that range, and even if they did the odds of one being set on the _exact _same frequency they sought were outlandish. If Data wanted to talk to Blake and appease the Romulan woman too, he had found a way.

"It's them." He said confidently, "Data wants us to follow."

They all exchanged looks.

"If he did it this way, we have to assume Tasker is unaware." Picard pointed out, "Is their deflector signal leaving a trail that extends outside of their sensor range?"

Anna checked the console, "Unless they have one impressive set of sensors, yes."

Picard nodded, "We will wait until they're just outside sensor range, then set a course—."

"Like hell! We're going now." Lore demanded. His voice was so utterly confident that it sounded more like an order in itself.

"If we follow now, the Tasker will be aware of it."

Lore glanced around as if Picard had lost his mind, "I didn't install a cloaking device on this ship for my amusement."

Anna groaned and pressed her fist hard against her lips. Lore noticed and gave her a questioning look.

"I only realized a little while ago, but we were sidetracked with the away missions. The same disruption field that keeps us from cloaking here covers this entire system and more than a parsec to the next. There are repeater stations along the way keeping it operational."

Which meant they could not hide. The Tasker would detect them unless they waited for her to pass sensor range before leaving orbit. It was not a pleasant thought. He was tired of waiting. He was tiring of being cautious and circumspect. He was starting to think that he should have done this—all of this—on his own.

Seeing that his preference was not advisable and would have been overridden anyway, he made a face much like a snarl and stormed off the bridge. He tossed his response back over his shoulder, "You have the bridge, _Captain!_ By all means!"

As he reached the entrance to the lab, he found himself wishing that his ship was more like the Hall's home in Idaho, complete with old fashioned swinging doors. It would have felt good to slam one of them. Of course, for him slamming a door meant destroying it. Good. He wouldn't mind destroying something at the moment. Despite his flippant words to Blake, he was angry. Twice they had been practically on top of Data, and twice they had lost him.

He knew he should have killed Bruce Maddox when he had the chance.

He lashed out angrily and shoved a rolling chair across the room. It struck the work table nearby, causing it to tilt and disrupt all its contents. The space station model that was intended for Teni's birthday gift went crashing to the deck, along with the wooden base beneath it.

"Shit." He muttered.

"I didn't think you were still into destroying furniture."

Lore sighed. He had heard the door open, but roughly a second too late. "I was never _into_ destroying furniture."

"From the way Counselor Troi described it to me, it was your only hobby for about six weeks." She said with a shrug.

"It was not six weeks." He muttered, "I had already destroyed almost everything in the first week."

That made her laugh, which had been his intention. She cleared her throat and moved toward him, "If you're afraid I'm going to argue the Captain's point, don't worry. I think you already agree and that's why you're angry."

He was about to agree and follow it up with a firm declaration that he should have gone after Data himself, but thankfully he kept his mouth shut. It would sound too much like he was blaming everyone else and that he didn't want here there, neither of which was true.

"Mmm. Is that Teni's birthday present on the floor?"

"It was already damaged." He admitted, "Maybe I should just give her the pieces. She hated the place and will have fun destroying it anyway."

Anna chuckled and moved around the table to pick up the little model, when Lore suddenly froze. How could he have forgotten? He didn't _forget _anything!

"No. I'll pick that up." He moved forward without trying to look panicked, but it was too late.

Anna stood up slowly, a broken model in one and a carved brass plaque in the other. She read the plaque and her eyebrows shot up.

Lore closed his eyes and just let his shoulders sag. Why couldn't he just have bad days? He _never _had bad days. He had days that started bad and then always—always—got progressively worse. This was one of those "worse" days.

"Is this a name plaque for the ship?" She looked at it again, "The _Annabel Lee." _

Lore watched her closely. This had not been his plan at all, and he _hated _when his plans were thwarted.

"You're naming your ship after me…." It wasn't a question. Her face broke into a delighted smile.

"I had to name it something." He shrugged. Argh! Why was he being flippant? _That _had not been his plan either!

"I see." Her smile did not falter, "And you're just such a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, right?"

He shrugged again, but his expression looked more miserable than careless. For the first time in his life he wished Dr. Soong had made physical pain a part of his sons' normal programming. That way, when he finally got a hold of Data, he could cause him some pain for all of this trouble!

Once again, it didn't really matter that it wasn't Data's fault.

"Do you…like it?" He asked.

"What a question…." She sighed, "Of course I like it. I love it." She set the model on the table and kept the plaque in her hand as she lifted her arms over his shoulders.

Lore grinned with more than a little satisfaction. She liked it. She _loved _it! He hugged her tightly and pushed aside, for a moment, the fact that they were two sectors deep in an enemy quadrant with Data getting further away every passing second.

"I'm sorry I found it, though." She said, her voice muffled in his shoulder, "When were you planning to show it to me? My birthday is nine months off."

_Damn. _He had decided, very recently, that he was going to reveal the ship's new name after he asked her to marry him. Well, more specifically, after she said yes to marrying him. That plan was obviously shot to hell.

"I hadn't decided." He lied. "Probably when we returned to the Enterprise."

She shrugged, hugged him tightly once more, and stepped back. "Thank you. And I won't tell any of them." She narrowed her eyes playfully, "Blake will just make fun of you, and you'll imagine that the other ones are."

_She knows me too well. _"I appreciate the attempt, but they already know."

"Really?" That obviously surprised her. "I wouldn't think it was something you would share."

"Share?" He grumbled, "Blake found it when I was moving something and couldn't keep his mouth shut." He just managed to keep himself from cringing at another thought. Everyone, except Picard he guessed, knew something else too. He wondered if they would keep their mouths shut about that!

He decided to change the subject, "Are they angry with me?"

"Do you actually care?"

"No."

She laughed and shook her head, "As I suspected. And they aren't any angrier than they always are. With you, I mean."

"What do you mean?" He said with a laugh, "You know I'm one of Picard's _favorite _people."

"I'll be sure to tell him that." She replied. Her tone suggested that she definitely wouldn't…or she definitely would. Nothing in between.

"_Picard to Hall." _

"Speak of the devil." Lore said loudly.

She tapped her badge, "Hall here, Captain."

"_We're going to extend the sensor range as much as possible. Blake needs your assistance." _

"Understood, Sir. Hall out."

"I'll go down the engineering deck and start with the sensor banks. You're going to have to access them anyway." He glanced at the plaque again, which Anna was cradling in both hands. "You do really like it?"

"Yes." She smiled, "Why wouldn't I?"

"You don't call yourself Annabel. I thought there was a chance you didn't like the name and that's why you don't use it."

She shook her head, "Not at all. It's just a little childish sounding. Plus, I got tired of listening to people at the academy serenade me with lines from _Annabel Lee_ when they thought it was funny. I was trying to be taken seriously, after all."

"But you're not now?"

"What? Trying to be taken seriously?" She laughed at that. "Nope. I don't care what people think if they aren't close to me."

"You don't?" He asked the question facetiously, since he already knew the answer.

"Nope." She said again. Then she smiled up at him so brightly that it stopped him from breathing. She raised the plaque and let her eyes linger over it, "I don't need the approval of strangers to be happy, Lore. You gave me that as well as this. I had better get going to help Blake."

She set the Plaque on the table and headed off with a final parting smile. Lore took up the plaque and, with an attitude quite satisfied with himself, placed it in a storage locker for safe keeping. He was already debating on where to hang it.

(*)

"I'm fine, Doc. Seriously." Blake whined.

Anna came around the corner and up the steps just as Crusher was trying to push a hypospray to Blake's neck. She pursed her lips at him in disapproval.

"Would you mind terribly not taking to medical care like most six years olds, Ensign? Stand still."

"But I'm not in pain, I told you." Blake sighed.

"You will be as soon as the first hypospray runs out." She pressed it to his neck, "There."

Blake frowned but refrained from further whining. As soon as he caught site of Anna, he frowned again. "He's pissed off, isn't he? I knew it! He said all that crap to make me feel better, but he's mad."

"To make you feel better?" Crusher rolled her eyes, not believing it for a second, "Perish the thought."

"He's not mad." Anna said.

"I heard something crash." Blake countered.

"Probably an accident." She muttered, knowing it sounded ridiculous.

"Yeah, okay." Blake snorted, "I get why he's mad, though. I'm sick of being cautious too, but if we just go chasing them there's no telling what that Tasker might do. She'll probably contact the Dominion, if she hasn't done it already, and then we'll really be screwed."

Anna rolled her eyes, "He's fine, Blake. He's just frustrated. We're all frustrated."

He didn't look convinced, and it made her want to smack him on the back of the head. Leave it to Blake to sulk over Lore's mood swings when everyone else merely accepted them as fact. She wondered if he bemoaned the rain too.

"His mood is fine. After all…." She grinned, "He surprised me just now."

Blake looked at her. Seeing the half embarrassed look on her face, let his jaw fall open. "He did it just now?"

"Yep." She shrugged. There was no reason to tell him that it had been an accident, that she had found the plaque on the floor. "He told me that you already knew. And you didn't say anything to me, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. I was going to tell you and ruin his surprise." He grinned like a person half his age and leaned toward her, "So? You said yes, I take it?"

"It wasn't exactly in the form of a question so much."

He laughed, "Figures, knowing him. Well, I'm glad you said yes, anyway."

"What would I say no?" She rolled her eyes facetiously.

"That's what I said!" He bellowed, "He was all worried about it. But, I probably shouldn't say anything about that. Forget I mentioned it."

Worried? She couldn't imagine why Lore would be worried, but then she recalled his concern that she might not like her full name, Annabel. Silly, that. She shrugged.

"Don't worry. He told me about that too." She said, "He worried over nothing."

Blake stood and walked the few steps to the back console next to Crusher, who was busy making notes in a data pad.

"So, I know it just happened and all," He began, "but what do you think about the ceremony?"

Anna lifted her brow curiously. What ceremony? It wasn't as if they were naming the new flag ship or anything. She laughed, "I really doubt there will be a ceremony, Blake."

"That makes sense." He said, "I can't really see Lore standing at an altar in front of a bunch of people, repeating vows. We all know how he can't stand being a 'spectacle', as he always says."

Anna's expression dropped like a stone. The smooth motion as she was rising to her feet stopped midway as she stared at him.

Crusher glanced at Anna and then at Blake. She understood it instantly. "Blake…." Crusher ground out through her teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Anna said, her skin feeling very hot suddenly, "Lore told me he's naming the ship after me. Annabel Lee. He…he told you that he's planning to…."

If Anna looked pale, it was nothing compared to the change that came over Blake's complexion. He looked literally green as he tried to utter a coherent word. Finally, he managed to say, "I'm dead."

Crusher bolted out of her chair and down the steps just far enough to look into the corridor. She turned back and whispered, "Shut up, Blake."

"Oh, shit. Shit." Blake was clutching the sides of his head, "I'm dead. He's going to kill me. I mean actually murder me!"

Anna closed her eyes. She tried to let Blake's panic slip into the background so that she could think, but it was no use. All she could hear was his insistence that Lore was going to throw him from an airlock, and all could she could feel was a kind of dull depression coming over her. It wasn't because she was not pleased. No, it was not that at all! It was because the way she had just found out was so terribly disappointing. She wondered what Lore had planned. She wondered how she would have reacted in her surprise.

She glared at him, "And you're the one who's always calling Lore an ass? Damnit, Blake!"

"Anna, I'm sorry—."

"Stop talking. Just…stop." She turned back to the console facing the bridge. She had work to do. She could not go off and sulk in her quarters, and unlike Lore she was not free to store storm out and destroy something to appease her frustration. She was a Starfleet officer. She had orders. And they all had a mission to accomplish.

Data and B-4 were counting on them.

"Are you alright?" Crusher whispered.

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose and looked away, "Fine. Thank you."

Knowing better than to pry, Crusher nodded and headed off down the far corridor. Blake seemed to be getting himself under control, but still looked close to being sick.

"God, I'm sorry, Anna. You won't tell him, will you?" He cringed at himself, "Ah, hell. I can't ask you to do that…pretend you're surprised. He's going to kill me."

"We have a lot of work to do, okay?" She muttered.

"Yeah." He dragged himself back to the console and fell into the chair like he was half dead.

Anna stared at the screen in front of her without seeing very much. As time passed, however, and they worked in silence, her mood began to slowly improve. Her shock over the revelation and disappointment over how it was made were replaced with a growing sense of excitement.

Lore was going to ask her to marry him.

_Wow. _


	22. Ulterior Motive

**XXII.**

"_You aren't very intelligent, are you, Doctor?"_

"So where are they? This is becoming ridiculous!"

Weyoun sighed. He unclasped his hands from behind his back and lifted the hand that lay lifeless on the examination table. He pulled it up by the very tip of one finger, as if he found it distasteful to touch more.

Maddox ground his teeth like a milling stone.

"I still can't understand why you made it blonde. _Blonde._" Weyoun chuckled. "I have never found the hair color to be very flattering in any species."

"Probably because all you Vorta have the same black hair." Maddox sneered, "Besides, I didn't think aesthetic appreciation was a part of your makeup."

"It is not. A good thing too. So many species waste precious time and energy making things 'look good'."

"Where are they?" Maddox pressed again. He was quickly losing his temper and was even growing somewhat confused. This level of bad strategy went beyond what he would expect if Weyoun was just trying to play mind games with him. Putting someone in his place by being difficult was one thing, but this was bordering on incompetent.

"You know where they've been all this time, and you haven't made a single move to capture them." Maddox continued.

"As I told you before, they will come to us."

"This is bullshit!" Maddox snapped. _They will come to us._ It was like a villain's clichéd line from a bad holonovel. Something else was going on. He did not know much about the Dominion, having never had any reason to concern himself with the war, but what Weyoun was doing flew in the face of _basic _military strategy.

"Bullshit…." Weyoun laughed, "I could almost come to appreciate human culture from your euphemisms alone. But our current strategy is not 'bullshit', as you say."

"Really?" Maddox said, "Then explain to me why we're risking losing everything by waiting Lore's ship to catch up to Data and retake him. There's no reason for it. He's cloaked, but it doesn't matter. His vessel would be no match for a single battle cruiser."

"Battle cruiser?" Weyoun shook his head slowly, "That would be very reckless of me, seeing as how Lore might go down fighting. Would he? You know him, after all, and I do not."

More confusion. What the hell did that mean? "So what? Who cares if he went down fighting? If we're able to locate him, then destroy his ship!"

"Now, why would I do that, Doctor? Destroying Lore is quite possibly the _last _thing I would wish to do." He dropped the android's hand from a good height and watched it bounce on the examination table.

Maddox clenched his fists in the air. How could the Founders have engineered their closest servants to be so damn stupid! "How many times do I have to tell you this? We don't need Lore. I thought I did, but that was before I knew Data's neural net template had been placed inside B-4. It's all I need."

"And that's good for you, Doctor." Weyoun's voice was a bit high, almost the way people spoke to children, "I see no reason to interfere with your little experiment. After all, Data is going to be here anyway, and the end results might actually prove useful to the Dominion some day. In some small degree."

In some small degree? "What are you talking about? My 'little experiment' is going to make it possible to mass replicate sentient androids. Do you have any idea what that means?"

"No, Doctor, I must not." Weyoun's voice had changed suddenly. It was colder and darker. He moved toward him with his hands stiffly held behind his back, "_Sentient_ androids, you say? And what possible good would they be to the Founders? The Jem'Hadar are already formidable warriors, far superiors to those of the Federation. Our engineering concerns are already handled with expert minds, and so little of warfare is actually comprised of hand to hand combat. So, I ask again, what possible good would an android be to us?"

Maddox was speechless. What Weyoun was saying flew in the face of everything they had discussed and everything that had been leading up to the completion of the new android. It didn't make sense.

"I already explained to you the benefits of this research." He said flatly.

"Yes, and your argument was very unconvincing." Weyoun smirked, "You see, androids don't need food or water or rest, Doctor. You have presented this as some kind of benefit, but how are we to expect obedience from creatures that have no reason to rely on us? The Federation is well aware of the Jem'Hadar's reliance on Ketracel-white. Would they be such compliant warriors if they did not believe they needed it, and that we were the only source? And what about the threat of pain or death? Will you program these androids of yours to feel pain or have a terror of their own demise? That would be interesting."

A cold sweat formed on Maddox's brow, and he could feel his scalp beginning to prickle feverishly. "I…I don't understand. If you don't think my cybernetic research is useful—."

"You aren't very intelligent, are you, Doctor?" Weyoun let the insulting question hang for a few seconds, "I find it incredible that you have not yet figured out what is going on. You have asked me, repeatedly, why we are waiting for Data and the Tasker to come to us instead of taking them now. You have also pointed out, repeatedly, that Lore may catch them at any moment. In order for Lore to catch Data, he will have to reveal himself. Won't he? If we don't wait and we try to take Data now, Lore will stay in hiding or may, as I said before, go down fighting. I will not allow either to happen."

Perhaps Maddox wasn't that intelligent after all. The thought only added to his fear. "You…you want Lore? Why?"

Weyoun frowned, disappointed. "We are very good at gathering information. For instance, it took very little to learn a great deal about Lore after you contacted our scout ship near the wormhole. Most of it was a matter of public record, in fact. We had only to listen to the Federation News Network to learn a great deal."

"Learn what!" Maddox fumed. He was growing desperate now, but he covered it with rage, "Stop talking in circles!"

"Lore has something we want. Something that we have been trying to get through other means, but have thus far we have been unsuccessful." Weyoun took a few steps forward, "Transphasic warp technology, Doctor."

"What!" Maddox spat. He laughed, and the feeling was like acid in his mouth, "You have the nerve to question _my _intelligence? You're talking about the warp system that Lore helped install aboard the Enterprise, the one he learned about from his past with the Borg. There must be a hundred or more Starfleet officers who have knowledge of that project, and you want to try to get information from _Lore_?"

Weyoun shrugged.

"You're an idiot." Maddox countered, "You think Lore might help you because he isn't exactly friendly with Starfleet, is that it? He'll refuse to help you out of spite alone, and if you think you will be able to get the information from him by force…." Maddox scoffed and turned away.

"Believe me when I say, Doctor, that Lore is the only viable source for the information we seek. We have intelligence operatives who have been following Starfleet's advances with Transphasic warp technology, and it is rather obvious that Lore is holding back. He only gave them part of the whole. We already have what Starfleet has. We want the rest of it."

Maddox wracked his brain, trying to think back on things that he had not given a damn about at the time. When Lore had returned out of the blue to the _Enterprise _and the dry dock station, there had been questions about his right to be there. He wasn't a Starfleet officer or even a civilian contractor, but Lore had quickly come up with an excuse to stick around by offering his expertise on Borg warp technology. Lore couldn't have given a damn about Starfleet's wishes, but it had allowed him to be close to that Lt. Hall. Ah, yes. Anna _fucking _Hall.

Maddox winced and rubbed the side of his knee.

He could see now that there was no point in discussing things further with Weyoun. So they had lied to him. They had allowed him to believe that they cared about his cybernetic research only because they knew Lore would pursue B-4 right into their clutches. Fine. Whatever. It was Weyoun's funeral. Maddox only had two concerns; how far could he keep himself from Lore, and was Weyoun going to interfere with his other plans?

"Is this going to cause a problem with me capturing B-4?" Maddox said.

"I don't see why it should. We will not be needing your assistance where Lore is concerned, Doctor, and I have been given instructions to allow you to continue unhindered with your little experiment." Weyoun shrugged, "It will not consume many resources, after all."

Weyoun made no departing words as he turned and left the room, looking almost bored. Maddox stood frozen in place for several seconds. His stomach was flipping again. He had not thought the feeling could get worse, but there it was. Not only did he have to fear the Dominion and their true intentions toward him, but now there was Lore. Lore was coming closer with every passing minute and there was nothing Maddox could do about it. His situation over the last several months had left him in a perpetual uncertainty, always worrying about Weyoun and Starfleet and a host of other things. But there was one thing he had no uncertainty about. It was as solid as words carved into stone.

If Lore saw him, he was as good as dead.


	23. Intercept

**XXIII.**

"_Ah, number Nineteen. There you are." _

Data was anxious, which was not common for him. At least, he _felt _that it was not common for him. B-4 kept asking him why he was so worried, and since his brother knew him better than he knew himself at the moment, it was easy to guess. Yes. He was not accustomed to being anxious.

There were many reasons for it. He had allowed the people following him—Blake and whomever was with him—the ability to track Lin's shuttle and was afraid that they could reveal themselves at any moment. What if Lin was right? What if they were following him because they wished to capture him? Would they harm Lin if she tried to interfere? He was not looking forward to any repeat of the incident in the high-rise, for it was obvious that should someone wish to capture him Lin would most definitely _interfere. _

"You know, um…." Lin began, brushing her hair out of her face, "My next stop is actually in orbit of another planet in this system. It's just a quick trip, so there's no reason for you to go with me. You can just stay here and I'll come back."

Data frowned. She was presenting the information as if it were new, but she had already mentioned it or hinted at it several times in the hours it took them to reach their current destination. They were walking through a very boisterous square, lined with shops and other establishments designed to cater to the passing traders. It was unlike the other places they had visiting only in its obvious wealth. It was no less boisterous and no less seedy, if the shouts from the various bars meant anything. It was gilded squalor.

"Do you wish me to remain here while you attend to the next stop?" He asked, watching her.

"Eh…yes. The next stop is, um, more likely to have Directors. So it's safer for you here."

Data almost shook his head. He was simply astonished at how poor a liar she was. Even when she was telling the truth she could sound as if she was lying. Data assumed that there were indeed Directors at the next location, but hers was a lie of omission. She was holding something more back.

"I understand. What is the manner of our task here?"

"Almost nothing. I merely have to collect a data node from a man who owns a nearby business. He works for the Dominion, though no one realizes it. Then, I deliver the data node to the D—to someone at the next stop." She turned and smiled at him. It was forced. "That's all. Then I'll come back and get you and we can move on."

Data's sighed, but not so dramatically that she noticed. Move on. So she had no intention of taking his help. She had no intention of leaving the Dominion. The strange thing was that he was beginning to suspect that she wanted him to go with her. Indefinitely.

Why would she want that?

_Data, I want to go home. I miss Lore. _

Lore. His other brother. The other one like them. B-4 had already mentioned him several times, and the constant banter had begun bringing memories to the surface. In fact—and this was something he had yet to broach with Lin—the past several hours had seen a veritable watershed of memories. Each one dropped on him like a sudden picture shoved before his eyes, but it was more than simply _seeing _things. He had begun to remember facts, feelings, things associated with the images he saw.

He knew, for instance, that Lore was his older brother and that he did not like him. That fact had come as almost…amusing. Then there were his friends. He had many friends, people whom he had worked with for years and who respected and liked him. They had taught him how to dance and tell jokes and play chess and perform in plays and…well, he had the feeling that list could be nearly endless.

"Data?"

He turned. He had been lost in thought.

"Yes? Forgive me. I was thinking."

"Oh." Lin glanced at the shop before them, "This is it. I'll step inside and get the data node. It should just be a minute. The man has a suspicious personality and won't react well to someone being with me."

Data nodded and stepped out of the walkway and looked around. There was a boisterous bar across the way, casting light across the path.

_I hear music, Data. Are you and Lin going to dance again? I wish I could see the dancing. _

"I am sorry I have neglected you." Data thought, "I will attempt to discover why you cannot see and attempt to correct it if I can."

_Okay. Is Blake hurt? I heard shouts and bad sounds before. _

"Lin attacked Blake and struck him in the ribs." Data replied. He immediately regretted his honesty.

_Lin hurt Blake! Why? I did not hear Blake say a bad thing. Lore told me that sometimes he wants to hurt Blake when he is 'being stupid.' Was Blake being stupid? _

Data laughed. It was a burst of sound that he quickly drew in, lest the passersby notice his strange behavior. _This_ was the Lore that he disliked? There must be other things about him he had yet to remember.

"No. I do not believe he was 'being stupid.' Lin does not trust Blake. She believed he was trying to capture me or harm me."

_Blake would not hurt you. Lin is wrong. But she was good if she thought she was trying to help you. Can a person be wrong and good? _

"Her intentions were good, if that is what you mean."

_Her intentions were good. Yes. _

Data glanced at the door of the shop Lin had entered. She would return in a few minutes and then he would have to devise some way of occupying himself while she moved on to the next stop. There really was no need to 'occupy' himself, though. He suffered no ill effects from merely standing still and waiting, but such a thing would no doubt draw unwanted attention. He should, he decided, spend the time interrogating B-4. Asking his brother questions was a trying exercise, and he had learned already that the best method was to go slowly and not grow frustrated when he failed to deliver direct answers. And he had many questions. He especially had questions about Maddox.

The shop door opened and Lin stepped out, a satisfied grin on her face. She stopped before him and held both fists in front of her, both closed.

"Guess what I have" She said, grinning.

Data almost laughed. He had never seen her in such a light mood…except when she had been intoxicated.

"A data node?" He offered.

"Of course." She unfurled one first and revealed a small black and green data node. She shoved it into her pocket with little ceremony and focused on the other fist. She cupped her other hand over it, shifting the unseen contents to both hands.

"What else do you have?" Data said. He was almost smiling, though trying not to. Somehow, he felt that him playing serious was part of this game.

Lin shook her fist, and the very distinct sound of metal clanging against metal could be heard. To Data's hearing, it was even more distinct.

"Latinum strips?"

"Oh!" She frowned in mock horror, "Is your hearing really that good? I suppose mine isn't so superior anymore." She opened her hand and revealed a palm full of bright gold money.

Data's lifted his brow, "How did you acquire that?"

"From the Dominion informant." She shrugged and dropped the money in her pocket.

Data did not ask another question. He had the sneaking suspicion that Lin had just engaged in some kind of blackmail.

"You should have seen the look on his face when I asked for it." She said flippantly as they walked back toward the square.

"Asked?" Data said.

"He makes a great deal of money being the only one allowed to conduct his particular business here. I asked him for some of it."

Data almost smiled. Almost. "What did he say?"

"Exactly?" She grinned, "He said, 'Woman! You've been coming here every six months for thirteen years and you have never said more than two words to me!'"

"He did not sound pleased." Data said.

"I think he was, actually." She said, frowning a little, "He started laughing and told me that any Tasker who wanted money was a Tasker breaking the rules, and that was 'alright in his book'."

Data laughed again, the second time in one day. He was glad she had not engaged in blackmail.

"I'm going to buy more food and drink with it when I come back. This time there will be plenty, so you can have some too. _Do you_ eat? I can't remember if I asked you last time." She was bouncing again, almost giddy. But there was something obviously forced about it. She was talking quickly, as if trying to keep him from saying something instead.

Ah. Of course. She did not want him to bring up the subject again. She was trying to show him how carefree their existence could be, and how unnecessary leaving the Dominion was.

Past the smiles, she looked downright miserable.

As Data turned from watching those false smiles, he saw something behind him dart away. It was quick and just in his peripheral vision, but he saw it clearly. Two men dressed in black uniforms of some kind. He did not need a second glance to know that they were the same species from which Lin had run on the last planet.

Directors. Vorta.

"Lin, we are being followed by two Vorta." He said quietly.

She turned her head sharply, a gasp trapped halfway in her throat. Before she could utter a word or do anything else, the scene around them dissolved in chaos. People cried out warnings and cleared the path as a dozen armed men rushed into the square from two directions. They had leathery grey skin, dotted with sharp protrusions like little horns. Data could not identify them, just as he could identify any species.

"Jem'Hadar." Lin gasped. The words just barely formed past her lips, which had lost nearly all their color.

"Lin, who are these—?"

"Don't move." She hissed under her breath. "Be quiet."

The Jem'Hadar surrounded them on all sides with weapons aimed. Data watched Lin for any sign of action or communication, but there was none. Her eyes had fallen to the ground and she appeared to be frozen in place, waiting with her hand limp at her sides. It was a purposeful pose, and obviously one that she knew well.

"Ah, number nineteen." Came a clear male voice over the noise. "There you are." Several of the Jem'Hadar made a path just as two men stepped into view. Data glanced at the first—a Vorta with a wide expressive face and an easy air—but his attention focused on the other man.

"Sir." Lin said.

Data pulled his attention away from the familiar man to look at her. Her eyes were still down, and now her head and shoulders were slightly bent, as if half way through a bow. Her greeting had been muttered in a low, dead voice.

"I see you have acquired a passenger, number nineteen." Weyoun said.

"Yes, Sir." Lin said.

Data turned to face her now. She had completely shut down. Everything about her voice, her posture, her very facial expression was totally submissive.

Data frowned and turned back to the Vorta, "I forced her to give me passage on her vessel. She had no choice."

"Well, well, Dr. Maddox." Weyoun chuckled, "I wasn't aware that your android was capable of lying, and not even when instructed to do so."

_Maddox! Run, Data. Run away! _

Data took a step back, grabbing Lin's arm as he did.

"Hello, B-4." Maddox said slowly. He stepped forward with his hands held behind his back, as if he were approaching an old friend. "There's no need to be afraid. Just cooperate and everything will be fine."

_Maddox is a liar. _

Several memories came together in Data's mind at once. He could see Maddox, much younger than he was now, telling him that he would he would submit to an experimental refit whether he liked it or not. Then another memory, some years later of Maddox frowning at him. They were arguing about something. About Lore.

The connections fell to place in mere seconds. Each tiny connection linked to another and another, millions in a mere micro-second. The connecting links around Maddox were merely the catalyst.

It was astonished how quickly everything fell into place.

"I am not B-4, Dr. Maddox."

Maddox actually took a step back as he darted a glance at Weyoun. Weyoun, however, seemed to be focusing his attention on Lin.

"Our records indicate that you intercepted this android's vessel more than four days ago, Tasker. Can you explain why you did not report it?"

Lin's only visible reaction was a slight clenching of her jaw. Her voice was hollow and she didn't raise her eyes, "I am not authorized to make unscheduled subspace transmissions, Sir."

Weyoun chuckled, "You see, Maddox? It's as I said. The price we pay for such obedient servants is a rather lacking sense of initiative. Her next scheduled stop was the sector surveillance station we just left. No doubt she was planning to delivery him to us there, well within the confines of her schedule. Is that right, Tasker?"

"Yes, Sir." Lin said. Her voice as well as he hands had started shaking.

Data shifted his eyes back and forth between Lin and Maddox. He knew, suddenly, everything, and yet he was at a loss for what to do. Maddox was glaring at him openly, and showing a clear hostility toward Weyoun's casual banter.

"We need to secure him now!" Maddox demanded.

Lin gasped. Finally she looked at Data. Her expression was devastated. _I'm sorry, _she said silently.

"Do we have a problem, Tasker?" Weyoun said.

"No, Sir."

"Weyoun!" Maddox fumed.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Weyoun shrugged.

No. He could not allow this to happen. Even if it meant being killed in the process, Data knew that it would be better than allowing himself to fall into Maddox's hands and those of the Dominion. He glanced at Lin once more, but she was no longer looking at him.

_Data, what is happening? _

"I am sorry, B-4." He muttered aloud. A second later he swung his left arm in a wide arc, striking one of the Jem'Hadar soldiers and sending him flailing into three others. Data darted for the break in the group and the alleyway beyond.

"Damnit!" Maddox shouted. "Don't fire!"

There were already phaser blasts echoing around the square. Two struck the wall of the alleyway ahead, just missing Data's shoulder.

"Doctor, I would hurry if I were you." Weyoun said.

Data was moving at top speed and was mere feet from the darkness of the alley. He would disappear into the complex twists and turns of the outpost. He would find a way to mask his signature until he could find a way off the planet. He would steal a vessel if he had to and backtrack until Lore found him. Lore! Would his vessel be cloaked? Would he be able to signal his presence if—

Every thought in his head halted and crumbled into so many pieces. He was vaguely aware of his legs collapsing beneath him as he fell forward. He did not break his fall with his hands, but instead twisted and fell on his side. He could not control his hands. They were too busy clutching his torso, trying desperately to dampen the…the….

Pain?

Yes, it must be. There was no other description. Spidery flashes of red light streaked across his vision just as they must be shooting through his every limb. It was indescribable. It was unavoidable. He knew he was screaming and could not control it.

"Such realistic reactions." Weyoun mused, "I do hope you plan to omit this feature from your new model, Doctor. It seems hardly efficient."

Who was talking? Maddox? Was he still there? Where was Lin? Lin!

"S-Sir…please!" Lin stammered. She was shaking and trying to keep her eyes closed.

"Tasker?" Weyoun said.

"P-please stop hurting him." Lin just finished the sentence before she clutched her hands over her mouth and shook her head.

Weyoun narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing.

_Data! I am afraid! Why are you not talking to me? Can you hear me? _

"Arrrgh!" He could not hear him. He could not hear anything anymore. His entire existence was nothing but piecing pain. Even the light around him was dimming. The dim light was going dark. The only consolation was that he lost consciousness before his thoughts could come together and acknowledge that he had lost. It was over. Fourteen years after it had begun, it was finally over.

Maddox had him.


	24. Thin Hope

**XXIV.**

"_Don't you ever sleep?"_

It was not fear that paralyzed her. Fear was not a helpful emotion. It led to poor judgment and unreasonable responses, things that the Vorta simply would not tolerate in their Taskers. Instead, they trained their slaves to feel nothing. Numbness was a soft clay which could be easily molded. Taskers were trained to shut down all inner workings when following orders, to suppress themselves until there was nothing but the sound of their Director's voice.

And so Lin stared at the ground before her feet, her hands hanging loosely at her sides, in a pose that had been driven into her from her earliest memory. It was as second nature as breathing.

"I have some questions for you, Tasker." Weyoun said, "You are prepared to answer."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes, Sir." Lin replied.

"Who are you?"

"I am a dedicated Tasker, serving the Founders and their Dominion. I am Linera, number nineteen, of my training group. Engineer, level thirteen." She rattled off the response with such memorized rote that that the words almost ran together as one sound.

"What is your current task?" Weyoun continued. He was looking at a data pad now.

"My current task is independent service schedule number two-four-seven-G, continuous." Lin swallowed hard as she finished her last syllable. Her voice had nearly broken, and the realization of it was making her hands shake. She had regular encounters with Directors—every nine months, in fact—and she had never before felt so close to collapsing. She had never before felt such…fear? Yes. It was true that her current paralysis was the stuff of hardened training, but it did not change the fact that she was afraid. She had broken so many rules. She had asked a Director to _do _something, to stop hurting Data.

_Data…._

She glanced at him now, shifting her eyes without moving another muscle. Data was being lifted under the arms by two Jem'Hadar soldiers, each one grimacing under the obvious strain. He was unconscious and limp, but his wide open eyes sent a shiver down her back. Her head still rang with his cries. Such horrible cries. She had not thought him capable of such sounds. She wondered if his open eyes could see.

Weyoun was still reading the data-pad in his hand, a strange kind of smile on his face. He turned his attention back to Lin.

"_What _are you, Tasker?"

Lin started and nearly took a step back. It wasn't one of the usual questions. _What _was she? What did he mean?

"I…I am a Tasker, Sir." She muttered.

"Hmm." Weyoun chuckled, "Yes. What _species _are you?"

It was still a strange question, but more within the realm of what she was accustomed to. She gave the appropriate response, "I have no species. I am a unique creation of the Founders. Their superiority is demonstrated in me and my ability to serve them."

Weyoun smiled again and continue to assess her. She could not help but feel that he was looking for something.

"I see." He said again, "And the android did not contradict you? He did not…tell you something else?"

Lin trembled. She had no idea what he meant. What did he want? "No, Sir. I don't know what you mean, Sir."

"Hmm." Weyoun did not bother to elaborate. He turned his attention to the taller man, and Lin followed his eyes. Maddox was his name. That was what Weyoun had called him earlier. Unconsciously, and much in contradiction to her training, she narrowed her eyes at him and felt a white hot rage. He still held in his hands the small device he had used to incapacitate Data.

"There you are, Doctor. Are you satisfied?" Weyoun said with a sigh, "We will proceed back to the station and you can begin your work. No doubt you will have your new android operational soon."

Maddox hardly seemed to be paying attention to Weyoun. He was too busy scanning Data with a tricorder. "It would be foolish to rush anything." Maddox muttered, "The template transfer can only be attempted once. If it doesn't go perfectly, everything will be lost."

"You have twelve hours, Doctor."

_That _got his attention. "What!" Maddox spun around, "Are you crazy? I can't prepare an adequate setup in that kind of time. I have no staff, no observers. I have to do everything myself!"

Lin clenched her teeth. She could feel her finger nails digging into her palm, despite the fact that she was almost unaware of clenching her fists. She hated the man. She didn't even know him and she hated him. He was from the species that had created Data. That much was painfully obviously. He looked like Data and he looked like that man Blake too! Were the two groups fighting over Data? Was that it? Had this Maddox person simply gotten to Data first?

Or had Blake been telling the truth? What if he had? What if…?

"If it is help you need, Doctor, we can remedy your problem right now. This tasker is a level thirteen engineer according to her file. She will assist you."

Maddox looked Lin up and down like she was some kind of bug. "I need someone who can think on their feet and knows something by cybernetics. Not some brainwashed robot that needs micro-managing at every turn."

Lin sneered. Luckily neither of them saw it.

Weyoun laughed, and this time it was more than his usual chuckle, "We Vorta are not known for a sense of humor, Doctor, but what you just said couldn't be anything but ironic. I assure you that this tasker will help you get your 'robot' online without behaving like one. Taskers of her level do not require 'micro-managing.'"

Maddox scoffed and turned back to his tricorder.

"Tasker?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"You are hereby authorized to interrupt your schedule for the next six hours. You will assist Dr. Maddox in his work and follow his directions. His orders, however, are _not _to apply to anything outside his task with this android. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." She was numb again. It had taken a conscious effort, but she had achieved it to some degree. That was it, then. It was over. She would follow orders, help this scientist do whatever it was he was going to do, and then she would be released back to her schedule. Back to the same old routine, alone.

_Oh. I'm sorry, Data._ She pressed her eyes shut and knew they were full of tears. Clearly, she was not so numb after all.

(*)

There was very little confusion as Data awoke. He knew what had happened and could easily guess where he was. After only a few moments, his internal chronometer caught up and informed him that he had been unconscious for more than four hours. He also remembered everything.

Everything.

"The transfer frequency on port seven?" It was Maddox's voice, coming from somewhere behind Data's head.

"In the two-fifty range." Muttered a low, almost miserable voice.

Lin. Data lifted his head and looked over the room. There was no point in pretending to be unconscious. Maddox would have his every system under constant surveillance, and the man no doubt already knew he was awake.

Lin was seated at a console across the room, her back half turned to him. Her shoulders were slumped and much of her hair had moved forward past her ears, blocking her face.

"Don't waste your time fighting the restraints. They've been specifically designed for you." Maddox said, breaking the silence. His tone was cold, lacking any mockery.

Lin gasped and turner her head. She met Data's eyes for only a moment before she turned away again. Her shoulders slumped until she almost looked like she resting her head of the console.

Data cringed. She was helping Maddox?

"Lin." Data said. He did know what he was going to say to her, if anything. What could he possibly say in Maddox's presence anyway?

She turned her head a bit, but did not look at him. He could see that her face was incredibly pale.

Maddox moved across the room now, entering Data's field of vision. He watched him and waited for him to speak, but Maddox said nothing. In fact, he seemed to be making a concerted effort not even to look at him. His posture was ridged and his face looked as if he was clenching his back teeth into dust.

"Hello, Doctor." Data said, "It has been some time."

Maddox lifted his eyes, but only frowned in response. He grabbed a data-pad from the table and crossed the room again.

So, he had nothing to say, then. It did not surprise Data. He was just a thing. Whether or not Maddox had always believed that or whether he had convinced himself of it recently didn't matter. It was clear that he intended to view Data as nothing more than a piece of equipment until it was all over. Until he got what he wanted and Data was dead.

"You know him? You remember?" Lin gasped, looking up.

Data faced her. It was only because the table he was strapped too was at a slight incline that he was able to do so, "Yes. He is Doctor Bruce Maddox, a cyberneticist."

Maddox was out of view, and Data heard no response.

Lin dropped her head again, but still glanced at him, "He…he created you?"

Data scoffed, and the sound surprised even him. He was angry. He could not help but be. "No. My creator was an innovative and dedicated scientist who spent his entire life working toward my creation. He achieved his goals without blindly pilfering the work of others."

Maddox, who had been walking somewhere behind Data, stopped. There was dead silence for several seconds, then his footsteps again.

The sharp little barb wasn't enough, though. Data had virtually no experience with being vindictive or nasty. It simply wasn't a part of him, but he was about to die. And it wasn't a noble death. He wasn't dying in the line of duty or to protect another. He and B-4 were about to be destroyed so that Bruce Maddox could assuage his personal obsession. Even he was not good natured enough to let it pass.

"Were you told to bring me here from the beginning, Lin?" He said, "Did you bring me along with you as you did in order to deter me from escaping?"

Lin's face twisted into some kind of agony. She shook her head.

"I wouldn't talk to her too much." Maddox snapped, "She doesn't even know what she is, and if she figures it out the Vorta with terminate her."

Data narrowed his eyes just as Maddox stepped back into view. Once again Maddox made a point of looking only at Lin. "I am going to supervise the transport of the other unit. Stay here and don't touch anything."

Maddox was actually going to leave the room? He trusted Lin to not interfere or release him? Rather than feeling a surge of hope, Data felt only an increased sense of dismay. Maddox was many things, but he was not stupid. They were either being watched remotely, or Maddox had reason to trust Lin to cooperate.

Lin was a Tasker, and she was doing what she was told.

A Tasker….

"I have recovered all of my memory connections, Lin. I can answer your questions now." Data said. He sounded artificially pleasant, and purposefully so.

She shook her head and looked away.

"You no longer have questions?" He said, "You were curious about the image of me that Blake showed you, and about the uniform I was wearing."

She pressed a few controls on her console. Her want was shaking.

"I can explain that now." He continued, "I am a Commander in Starfleet, the United Federation of Planets. Have you heard of either?"

Several seconds passed before she muttered, "The…the other side of the wormhole."

"Yes. I believe you would find the other side of the wormhole very interesting. You would…." He stopped himself. He wasn't sure what he was doing. Was he just trying to make her feel guilty? Was he trying to discover if she even felt guilty? He could not do that, and if Maddox was right he certainly could not tell her the truth. If he told her that she was Romulan she might repeat it to one of the Vorta and be killed as a result. He was angry, but he would not do that to her.

"I understand that you do not have a choice, Lin." He said, "I am sorry."

"W—what?" She stammered, "_You're _sorry? He told me what he's going to do to you. He…he can't do what he needs without destroying you. I'm helping them kill you!"

"Can you help me escape? Is it possible?"

She looked away.

"In that case, you do have no choice."

The console beeped and Lin turned her attention back to it. Her face had grown even paler and some kind of shield had come down behind her eyes. It was similar to what he had seen in the pedestrian square when she stood before Weyoun. He was about to say something more when the doors behind him hissed open and Maddox's voice filled the room again.

"Be careful." He barked.

Lin stood in her chair and watched what Data could not see from his position. She looked puzzled before her numb veil reasserted itself. A mag-lift gurney slid by and entered Data's view. A human male lay unconscious on it, dressed in plain black clothes.

"I refuse to do this transfer without allowing at least for a test first." Maddox sneered. It was clear he was speaking mostly to himself, despite giving Lin a cursory glance, "I need the primary template to be isolated before I make the final transfer. I want to transfer the secondary pattern in its entirety to this unit. We'll be able to isolate the primary while also doing a test to make sure there's nothing wrong with the transfer setup."

"That is an impressive use of euphemisms, Doctor." Data said, "May I assume that _I _am the primary template and B-4 is the secondary?"

Maddox sighed heavily and dedicated his attention to the unconscious human—No. The inactive android. Data understand that now. He was looking at the culmination of all Maddox's work. No doubt he planned to use the template of Data's neural net to create a new positronic brain in the already complete android. But not until he used B-4 to test it.

"You do not need to destroy B-4, Doctor." Data said suddenly, "It is not necessary."

Maddox gave no response.

He knew there was no point in continuing. He could explain to Maddox that Lore and Geordi had already been preparing a new body for him, and that B-4 could easily occupy it, but there was no point. Even if he could possibly convince him to spare B-4, it was unlikely that the Dominion would allow him to send any kind of transmission back to the Alpha quadrant.

He was glad he could not hear B-4 just then. He had no idea what he would say to him.

"Did you finish the memory safeguards?" Maddox said.

Lin nodded.

"Then I'm done with you. You can leave."

She looked as if the floor had been taken out from under her. She met Data's eyes, and for a brief moment he saw a truly terribly conflict waging inside her. He shook his head. There was nothing she could do. She would only get herself killed if she attempted anything.

"Hey!" Maddox snapped, "Weyoun is waiting for you in the corridor."

Data watched her flee the room—flee was the correct term—and disappear beyond his view. It was a hopeless moment, for even though he had somewhat cynically accepted his reality already, it was solid now. He could not escape his restraints. He had already tried, and the idea that he could talk Maddox out of his plans was laughable.

Yet, there was still some glimmer of hope, if one could use that term. Blake and the others—he assumed Lore at the least—were not far behind. It _was_ possible.

He preferred to believe it was.

(*)

They had her. They _finally _had her! It was only a matter of time now.

Lore leaned across the console and tilted his head, regarding the tiny vessel that hung in orbit just a few thousand kilometers in front of them. The bridge was silent except for the moderate hum of the engines. They had been keeping rather poorly to the haphazard shift rotation that Picard had attempted to assign, and as a result everyone had collapsed at almost the same point. They were all sleeping, leaving Lore to conduct the watch. He couldn't help but find the humor in it. Picard, Worf, and even Crusher were leaving him to watch over them while they slept. It was like the setup for a joke.

He glanced at the console before returning his attention to the main screen. The Romulan woman—Lin—was not aboard and their cursory scans of the surface had not revealed any Romulan bio-signatures. That didn't mean much, though. There was dozens of Dominion satellites in orbit, keeping them from conducting scans as thoroughly as they would like. They were still cloaked, and they couldn't risk giving themselves away.

They would just wait. As soon as they detected life signs aboard her ship, he was going to pounce. Yes. Pounce! He was tired of this cautious crawl across the Delta quadrant. If Data didn't have his memory, if he was violent and defensive—that would be a sight!—then Lore would just have to be prepared for that.

Picard entered the bridge from the Starboard corridor. He cradled a steaming cup of tea in both hands.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Lore muttered.

"Do you?" Picard replied.

_Ha ha. _"Yes, actually." Lore smirked, "Like the _dead._"

"Hmm." Picard moved to the aft console and consulted the latest scan, which of course revealed nothing.

"I'm going to transport Data aboard the moment we locate him." Lore announced. His tone was defiant, as if he was daring Picard to argue with the plan. He was.

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

"You wouldn't?" Lore narrowed his eyes, "You're not going to tell me to be cautious, approach him slowly, get him to trust me?"

"No." Picard took a sip of his tea and watched the view screen, "I believe Ensign's Blake's encounter demonstrates that Data trusts this Lin more than a group of strangers." He sighed heavily and shook his head, "Strangers."

"You don't need to worry about his memory." Lore said, "I know what happened and I can correct it."

Picard breathed out in a way that wasn't so much a scoff as it was a demonstration of surprise.

"What?"

"I never thought I would see the day when you, of all people, would tell me a reassuring lie."

Lore rolled his eyes, "What are you babbling about?"

"You." Picard said, "I've already spoken to Lt. Hall, and she was very clear about the possibility that Data's memories might be irreversible scrambled, that B-4 may have been lost in the process. She did not sugar coat."

"Ah. Well excuse me for trying to be tactful." He retorted.

"It wasn't an insult, or a criticism." Picard said, "Perhaps you should, in fact, stop trying to find offense everywhere you look."

Lore turned slowly, his eyebrows raised almost to his hairline, "Is that some kind of joke?"

"Not at all." Picard sighed heavily, "I just think you will find life much easier if you stop concocting motives behind everything everyone says to you."

"Oh, Picard…." Lore released a low chuckle, "I had no idea that since Troi left you were planning to pull double duty. Are you going to be my therapist now? I have to warn you, I think Troi's constitution was stronger than yours."

"Undoubtedly." Picard frowning and pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's why I recommended her for a special commendation after her initial sessions with you."

_What…? _Lore cocked his head to the side and was about to issue some truly lowering retort, when he noticed the slight upturn of Picard's mouth. The man certainly knew how to hide a laugh.

"Oh." Lore clapped his hands slowly, "Very funny. I'll have to tell Anna what a humorous Captain she has."

"But not that _you _have." Picard swirled his tea slightly, "I take it then, that you do not plan to stay aboard the _Enterprise _when we return?"

Lore clenched his jaw. Shit. He didn't want to discuss this. In fact, he had been avoiding the subject in a rather cowardly way. Of course he did not want to leave, yet at the same time he found the prospect of agreeing to any kind of official position unsavory. But, the _Enterprise _was where Anna was going to be, and would not ask her to leave Starfleet for him. After all, what was he doing? He was the one who had nowhere to go and nothing to _do._

"I wasn't planning on leaving the _Enterprise_, no." Lore said flatly.

"Considering recent developments, I didn't think that you would. I doubt—."

"Recent developments!" Lore groaned, tossing his hands up in the air. "I assumed everyone knew already, but I didn't actually think you would mention it to me!"

"Lore, what are you—?"

"—whether or not Anna agrees to marry me or not is _my business_. I'll not have you or anyone else, _especially you_, factoring it in to my future plans. Damn Crusher with her big mouth!"

Picard was very still, but his eyebrows rose in mild amusement. "Lore, I don't know what you're talking about. At least, I didn't until a moment ago."

_What…?_

"I would say I'm surprised, but…." Picard shrugged, and actually smirked, "but not really."

"Argh!" Lore threw up his hands again and felt like sending his fist through the console. It was just one humiliation after another, wasn't it? At this rate, he was going to find the whole lot of them hiding in a closet when he finally asked Anna, listening with bated breath!

If Picard was enjoying himself now, which Lore seriously suspected, he was doing a wonderful job of hiding it behind it a placid façade.

"You mean they did say something to you?" Lore said through clenched teeth. "The rest of them know, because of your damn doctor!"

"It shouldn't come as a surprise to you that crewmembers rarely share gossip with the Captain."

"Whatever." Lore sneered, "But if you say one word to Anna, I will—."

"—probably not do _anything _that would jeopardize your place aboard my ship." Picard took a long sip of his tea, looked into the cup, and said with a half-smile, "I would be honored to officiate at the ceremony."

The urge to do something petty and stupid, like pour that cup of hot tea over Picard's head, was so fierce that Lore compensated by clenching his fists at his sides. "You know what?" Lore said, gritting his teeth, "I need to check something below decks."

He stormed out, being sure to give Picard a nasty look while he did it. No doubt Picard found it all slightly amusing, since everyone thought that Lore's abrasive mood was just a matter of course. They had no idea. They really didn't get it. They were all acting as if it was a _fait accompli, _as if Anna saying yes was just a formality. The only thing worse than her refusal would be the fact that everyone knew he planning to ask. The prospect of very public humiliation was damn near enough to make him weep.

Of course, he did not.


	25. Paths Cross

**XXV.**

"_You're not taking me anywhere!"_

It hadn't been a pretty meeting. Lin wasn't used to 'pretty', so it didn't matter much anyway. Weyoun had scrutinized her like some filthy child, wrinkling up his nose as she answered his various questions, giving her ever reason to think that he didn't believe a word she said. He had asked her about Data, about things he had told her. She told him, rather honestly, that Data had had virtually no memory and had not been able to tell her anything about anything. He asked her what she knew about the Alpha quadrant and the species there, which was a truly bizarre question. She had never been given an information packet on the Alpha quadrant; she knew nothing. She told him as much.

But then the moment had come to lie.

She had never lied to a Director before.

"Why did you take the android with you aboard your vessel?" Weyoun probed.

She had felt her scalp prickle with heat, as if he could actually see her thoughts right through her head. That was the impression she had always been given throughout all those harsh training sessions when she was barely old enough to read. _We don't need to be telepaths to know what you're thinking. _

"I took him with me so that I could delivery him to my Directors at the sector transport hub. He is…was a unique piece of technology." Thank goodness the Directors had always trained her to keep her eyes down when she spoke to them! She wasn't sure she could have hidden her lie if she had been forced to look him in the face!

Weyoun had been satisfied, or apparently so. It was another element of their training to never be too sure about how their Directors felt about them. There was never any congratulations or censure. Neither. They merely left their Taskers in a constant state of anxious uncertainty. Censure, after all, was a mute pointe. Any Tasker who did something worth censure was simply terminated.

But it was over now. Weyoun had released her and instructed her to continue her regular duties. She had been relegated to the back of a supply pod that was returning to the merchant planet, squished between crates while she listened to the hulking alien pilot complain about how he wasn't a taxi driver. Once arriving, she had walked back to the square in which she and Data had been ambushed. She wasn't sure why. There was no reason to do so. She was more than twelve hours ahead of schedule, and the logical thing to do would have been to board her vessel and set a course for her next stop as quickly as possible, to save the surplus time.

Instead, she was sitting at a dingy bar, watching the orange and white drink she had ordered swirl like clouds on a gas giant. She wasn't even sure what it was. She just knew that the person next to her had been drinking one and that she had ordered the same. Although, she knew something else too. It was alcoholic, and she was well past drunk.

"Do, eh…do you want another one?" The bartender said cautiously. Lin wasn't wearing a scarf around her neck to hide her collar, and the whole bar knew what she was.

"Yes." She said. Why not have another one, even if it tasted terrible? She wasn't interested in the taste. She remembered how good she had felt the last time she had imbibed alcohol and had thought—quite incorrectly—that doing so again would raise her spirits. No. Nope.

"Nope…." She muttered.

"Oh. You don't want another one?"

"Yes! I was talking to myself." She snapped. The bartender gave her a curious frown and set another orange and white concoction before her. Lin responded by handing over last of her latinum. Once again, logic dictated that she should have saved it for a future emergency, such as being hungry again, but she wasn't interested in logic. She felt horrible, and for some reason that state just didn't lend itself to reason.

It was all her fault.

She had made so many mistakes.

If it wasn't for her, Data would be with his friends now, probably back on his way to the wormhole and the Alpha quadrant beyond. She still didn't have any proof that Blake had been telling the truth about being Data's friend, but her self-hating state at the moment led her to make the assumption. Yep. Blake was Data's friend, come to rescue him, and she had punched him in the ribs for all his efforts. She felt guilty. Heavily, incredibly, _painfully _guilty. She had never experienced anything like it before.

She downed half the drink with a grimace. Her stomach lurched, but she managed to keep it down. She wouldn't say she felt _better_, but she certainly felt _different. _No wonder so many people consumed alcohol. She drew a deep breath and sputtered a little when it caught in her throat. She realized, with more than a little shock, that her eyes were welling up and her throat was growing tight. Oh, no! She rubbed at her face and turned away from the room, but it was too late. Her tears spilled over her eyelids and slid down her cheeks in two defiant streams.

"Oh! Damn!" She slammed her fist on the bar. Several people, including the bartender, stared openly at her disgraceful display. She flashed her eyes back at them and threw a few dirty looks in for good measure. What did she care for their opinion! Stupid, ignorant sub-species'!

_I wish I was one of them…._

She wobbled a bit as she stepped down from her stool. She needed to put some water on her face. Better yet, she needed to leave and resume her schedule. That thought only made her more miserable.

"Are you quite well, child?" A lady said from behind the bar. She was an elderly woman, the same race as the bartender and probably his mother. She was frowning at Lin, half curious and half concerned.

"I'm fine!" Lin snapped. "Where are your fa—oh—facilities?"

The woman pointed to the dim hallway just off to Lin's left, "There you go. Put some cool water on your face. I'll watch your drink."

"Watch it? Why?" Lin snorted. Did everyone feel like this when they drank? Her words sounded as if she was listening to someone else speak them.

The old woman shook her head, "Oh, child, you _are _naïve, aren't you?"

Lin just waved a hand at her and headed off toward the facilities. A few of the patrons gave her openly astonished looks as she went. It wasn't every day that people watched a Dominion Tasker get drunk in a public bar! She wondered if word of her blatant violation of the rules would make it back to the Directors. Then she wondered why she really didn't care.

She splashed some water on her face and dried it with her sleeves before ambling back, touching the wall a few times for balance. How far would Maddox have gotten by now? He had been so adamant about performing that test first, and that would take at least three hours. She had been in the bar for roughly two hours…. She sniffled again and rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. Stupid alcohol! She wouldn't be crying if she hadn't had the stupid idea to drink!

She entered the main room and took a few steps back toward her barstool before stopping dead in her tracks. Did alcohol cause hallucinations? She didn't think so. In her travels, she had encountered more than a few inebriated people, and she had never gotten the impression that they were hallucinating. No. It had to be real. It _had _to be.

"Data!" She cried.

The man whose white skin and gold eyes she had focused on spun around, a look of pure astonishment on his face. He wasn't wearing the same clothes anymore, but that didn't matter! The Directors must have let him go! Maybe he wasn't so very advanced. Maybe Maddox had failed in his experiment and they didn't need him anymore. It didn't matter!

She pressed through the crowd toward him, the patrons parting like a river around a rock. "Data! You got out!"

That was another amazing thing about alcohol. It never even occurred to her _not _toshout his name, or _not _to throw her arms around his neck and hold on for dear life. Of course not! She embraced him for several seconds, laughing with pure joy, and not even noticing that he made no move to return her embrace. In fact, he was as ridged as one could be. She noticed it only a moment before he reached up and grabbed both her wrists like a vice. He pulled her arms down and held her out, away from him.

"Oh!" She frowned and tried to read his expression. He was smirking triumphantly.

He leaned in close until their noses almost touched, and smiled, "Wrong android, _sweetheart." _

_Oh…what? No! _"Let go of me!" She cried suddenly, "You're—you're not Data!"

"I know. That's what I just said." Lore smirked again and held her wrists as if it was the easier thing in the world, "You are just the person I was looking for. You're coming with me to answer some questions."

"You're not taking me anywhere!" She shouted. Her head was clearing remarkably fast, but not fast enough to remind her that fighting was pointless. She lifted her left foot and brought it down on his knee with all the force she could muster.

Lore rolled his eyes, "As entertaining as this is, I don't have time for it."

"You let me go now or—argh!"

Lore released her wrists just as he stooped down and lifted her over one shoulder, bracing his arm behind her knees as she kicked and squirmed. Lin screamed again, so enraged that she could feel the blood pumping through her face. She pounded her first into his back until her hands hurt.

The bar patrons watched the entire display with a mix of astonishment and outright amusement. The alien they couldn't identify was clearly abducting a Dominion Tasker. It was a story they would tell over drinks for years!

"You! You! Who are you? Put me down. Now!"

Lore didn't reply as he headed for the exit and pulled out a small device with his free hand. Everyone cleared well out of the way, but a new bout of laughter rose when Lin tried to stop their progress by holding on to the door frame.

"I have no problem breaking your fingers, if you insist." Lore informed her.

Lin shuddered and pulled her hands back. She wasn't sure if she believed him, but what choice did she have? She had left her disruptor aboard her ship!

"Where are you taking me, anyway? Do you know who I am? Do you know the penalties for interfering with a tasker?"

She actually felt the shake of his laughter through her stomach.

"I am about as afraid of the Dominion as I am of you. Although," He laughed again, "you are strong for a Romulan female. It almost makes me feel sorry for Blake."

She tried to drive her elbow into the side of his head, but couldn't reach back far enough, "Stop it! You—you can't! I have to get back on schedule! I _have _to!"

He ignored her. They moved out into the cloudy daylight, once again causing people to stare and clear out of the way. She saw him raise the device in his hand, and she instantly recognized it as a remote transporter.

"Argh!" She kicked furiously.

"I would really hold still if I were you." Lore said flatly, "I hear that too much movement in transport can have very unpleasant side effects."

"Fuck you!"

Lore released a boisterous laugh, "Well! I'll have to congratulate Data on his choice of friends when I finally see him. Now, stop moving."

She was ready to assault his ears with more of the same, but there wasn't a spare second to do so as the dingy outpost dissolved around her and she felt her stomach rise into her throat.

(*)

Things weren't going _exactly _as he had planned.

"Let go of me!"

"Gladly." He stomped up the steps of the control platform and deposited her in the padded work chair with very little ceremony.

Lin grunted as she fell into the seat. She did not stay there for long. She immediately scrambled to her feet and put the chair between her and Lore.

He wasn't going to waste any time, "Where is Data?"

"You can't keep me here!" She shouted, "If I don't make it to my next stop, I'll—."

"I don't give a damn about where you have to go. You're not going anywhere until you tell me where Data is. Why isn't he with you?"

Lore regarded the woman as she twisted her face into a look of indecision. She even began biting her lower lip, as if that would help her make up her mind. He felt his proverbial heart sink. If Data was no longer with her, it was possible that Maddox and the Dominion had already gotten to him.

She appeared to continue her inner debate when she suddenly reached into her pocket and removed a little device. Clearly it was her own remote transporter, and why hadn't he thought of that? She darted for the other side of the platform

"Shit!" Lore growled, going after her, "Give me that!"

"No! Leave me alone!" She tucked the device against her belly, trying to work it with both hands. Lore grabbed one of her arms and pulled it high while trying to get to the other. It was proving rather difficult, despite his superior strength. Strength, after all, wasn't everything, especially when he wasn't trying to injure her unnecessarily.

The device slipped from her hands and skidded across the floor. She dove for it, but too late. Lore wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her back.

"Argh! You can't keep me here! You stupid—." Lin's shouts began slipping into idiomatic Dominionese, of which the universal translator seemed unable to cope. Lore almost laughed as he wondered just what horrible insults were being flung at him.

"What the devil!" Picard's voice suddenly filled the room.

Lore froze while Lin didn't even break the rhythm of her violent thrashing. They were in the middle of the bridge with Lore down on one knee, holding Lin in one arm while trying to reach for the transporter device with the other. It was quite a bit of gymnastics.

Picard stood at the entrance to the Port side corridor as Blake and Crusher came up behind him. Worf and Anna appeared from the other corridor at a run, no doubt having heard all the shouts.

"Ah, Picard." Lore smiled, "I found our Romulan."

"Let go of me!" She flailed and threw her elbow in to the back of his head. It was a mistake she no doubt immediately regretted, as all the breath went out of her and she clutched her elbow to her stomach in abject pain.

"You went down to the surface without informing anyone." Picard said, "Are you incapable of doing anything within reason?"

"What reason?" Lore countered, "I located her on the latest scan and didn't want to wait until she could escape again. Forgive me for being _proactive." _

Anna crossed the bridge, her feet still bare from sleeping, and picked up the transporter device Lore was trying to reach. "You seem to be having some trouble there." She said ironically as she examined the transponder.

"None whatsoever." Lore grinned, "Are you jealous? If you are, I could use the ego boost. You wouldn't _believe_ the names she's been calling me."

"I would." Worf snorted.

No longer needing to keep her away from the transporter device, Lore released her and watched as she started in several directions like a fly against a window. There was nowhere to go, the only two corridors leading away from the bridge both being blocked. She backed against the far wall, darting her eyes to each one of them. Lore waited for another pointless round of demands to be let go, but when her eyes fell on Blake her entire demeanor changed. They all watched in anxious silence as her face screwed up and she covered her eyes with her hands.

"It's all my fault! They took him!"

"What!" Lore fumed.

"They knew he was with me. They must have known for some time, they were waiting." She shook her head again.

"Who was waiting?" Picard demanded.

Lore cringed. It was a formality. They all knew the damn answer.

"The Direct—the Vorta, and a man from your species." She looked at Picard, "Maddox."

_No. _Lore closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to keep himself calm. He very rarely _tried _to keep himself calm, but this situation seemed to call for it. He put his hands on either side of his head and began pacing.

"Where did they take him?" Picard demanded.

She opened her mouth, but hesitated.

"Where!?" Lore fumed, "You are _not_ leaving this ship until you tell us!"

"Lore." Picard glared at him.

"She will not talk." Worf said confidently, "Loyalty is a particular element of Dominion training."

Lore watched at Lin continued to shift her eyes between them. She looked like a caged animal, and she was swaying on her feet in a rather strange way.

"Training?" Lore sneered, "I prefer the euphemism _brainwashing._" He crossed the bridge suddenly, stopping only a few feet from Lin as she cringed and jumped back, "How does a Romulan become a Dominion slave, anyway? What's wrong with you?"

"You…you said that before. Romulan." She shook her head, "I'm not... I don't know what you're—."

"Unbelievable." He raised his eyebrows sarcastically, "That level of ignorance is fascinating, but I don't care right now. Where. Is. Data?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, and just when Lore thought he was going to give into the urge to throttle her, she opened her eyes again and said, "They have him at the military supply outpost in orbit of the fifth planet. There's a lab there. I…I was there with him before they sent me away. I was ordered to help Maddox setup a cybernetic transfer matrix."

"You helped him?" Lore's voice was cold.

She closed her eyes again and nodded.

Whatever hope he had left sank like a stone. It had taken them more than five hours to catch up to Lin's vessel, and Data could have been in Maddox's clutches for that long already. Even if Data was still alive, Lore was at a loss for how to reach him. His vessel was cloaked and he had weapons, but they were no match for a Dominion security force, which would no doubt be protecting the supply depot.

He clenched his fists and took several steps back, distancing himself from Lin. If he did not, he was honestly afraid that he would hurt her. She had said it was her fault, giving some indication that she was sorry or regretful, but he was finding it hard to give a damn about her motives.

A sharp groan came from behind Picard as Blake stomped forward. "Damn it! Why did you attack me on the high-rise? Why didn't you just let me explain? We're his friends!"

"I'm sorry." Lin muttered. Her swaying had gotten worse.

"Why did you make off with him, then?" Blake continued, obviously angry over what he now perceived to be the loss of his friends. Lore suspected that Blake's hope had slipped as far as his own. "If you weren't taking him to the Dominion and Maddox, then why did you try so hard to keep him away from us? Why?"

"Because you were going to take him away from me!" She snapped. She covered her mouth almost as soon as the words got out.

_What? _Lore glared at her.

Picard broke the awkward silence that followed when he moved toward Worf and motioned for Anna to join them near the control console.

"I want to conduct a system scan immediately and begin formulating the best method for scanning the outpost. It may be…unlikely, but we owe Data every possible effort. And let us not forget," His face became suddenly hardly as granite, "that if Data is lost, apprehending Maddox will become our new priority."

"Aye, Captain." Worf agreed.

"We already knew the supply depot was there, of course. The fifth planet has three moons, and one of them might provide a good magnetic field to cover us if they detect our scans." Anna said. He voice was low and a bit strained. She was doing her job, being professional, but Lore could see that she was suffering from the loss they were all assuming. She made eye contact with him tried to smile.

"He was nice to me…." Lin muttered.

Lore snapped his eyes back in her direction, as did Blake and Crusher. Lin had made her way to the sofa that had been pressed up against the far wall, and was bracing herself against the arm. Her swaying was worse now and she was blinking as if trying to keep her eyes open.

"What's wrong with you?" Lore barked.

"Are you ill?" Crusher said.

"I just didn't want to be alone anymore." Lin sighed, her words low and a bit drawn out, "He wanted to help me remove my collar and get away, but…but I couldn't do it."

"Whoa." Blake said, taking a few steps forward, "Where did you find her?"

Lore was still too busy trying to digest her words. He shrugged, "She was in some bar."

"I think she's drunk!" Blake declared.

"Shut up." Lin sputtered, "Or I'll…I'll hit you again!"

Blake wasn't willing to test it and made his way back toward the control area. Lore, meanwhile, turned away from her with angry disgust. He made eye contact with Anna again and extended his hand toward her. She understood and began to hand him the remote transporter they had taken from Lin.

"I can show you how to get in."

Lore turned his eyes back to her.

"I know all the security measures." She continued as she rubbed her face with clumsy hands, "I…know the outpost. I've been going there for years, every six months. I can…oh…I can get you inside."

Lore refused to give in to his swelling of hope. He stomped it down with suspicion and glared at her, "I don't believe you."

She glared right back at him, though the glassiness of her eyes left him wondered if she actually saw him. She sneered and said, "You're nothing like him…."

"Why does everyone keep saying that as if it's an insult?" He said wearily, "But let me continue. I don't believe you. Why would you help us? Why would you risk your life?"

If Blake was correct about Lin being drunk—and Lore heavily suspected he was—then it had finally caught up to her. She tried to perch herself on the arm of the sofa, but the balancing act was too much and she fell over onto the soft surface instead.

She groaned and said, with her last ounce of coherence, "Because I miss Data…."

She passed out cold.

"Well that's just great." Lore scoffed, "Crusher!"


	26. All Is Not Lost---Maybe

**XXVI.**

"_What's a Romulan?"_

It had taken Crusher less than a minute to disappear and return with her medical kit. Modern medicine being what it was, intoxication was easily dealt with. She had Blake synthesize the necessary compounds and prepare a hypospray while she ran a tricorder over Lin's unconscious form.

"She's Romulan alright, but not like any Romulan I've ever seen." Crusher said.

"How so?" Picard had taken knee next to the sofa next to Crusher while everyone else stood back or worked on the control platform.

Crusher gazed in astonishment at the tricorder, "Increased bone density, immune system; her lung efficiency must be almost three times that of a normal Romulan, and these brain scans…." She looked at Picard, "A tricorder can only tell me so much without more detailed equipment, but she has been _significantly _altered at the genetic level. Not to mention this implant at the back of her neck. Jean-Luc, this…collar, or whatever it is, is _attached _to her spine."

"I would enjoy hearing theories about how a Romulan could end up becoming a Dominion slave, but I believe we would all be shooting in the dark at this point." Picard replied.

"_And _wasting time." Lore noted, "Who cares where she came from or how she got here?"

Lin, of course, was unaware of all of this. She didn't even feel the cold sting of the hypospray as Crusher pressed it to her neck. The first thing she was aware of was softness. She turned her head and marveled, in that absent half-sleep way, at the soft cushion beneath her head. She must be dreaming. The deck of her vessel was hardly soft and the pillow she often used was a flattened, scratchy thing that barely deserved the term.

The second thing she was aware of was that voice. _That _voice. It was Data's voice, and yet so terribly different; rougher, more animated, more _arrogant. _

"I'm going to pull her vessel into the docking bay and secure it." _That _voice said, "We might be able to use it."

For a moment Lin thought to kick her legs, thinking that she was still being carted around over _his _shoulder like some sack of flour. She grumbled menacingly and muttered, "S…stay 'way…my ship!"

"She's awake." Crusher said.

Lore crossed his arms over his chest, "Good."

Lin pressed her hands into the cushions and lifted herself slowly. She fully expected to have a headache along with some other malady, but was shocked to discover that she felt fine. Any trace of intoxication she should have still suffered was gone and her head was remarkably clear.

She sat up and bolted to her feet.

"Calm down." Picard ordered. He rose to his feet as well and raised a calming, and warning, hand in front of her.

"Who are you people?" She demanded. Surely it would be the better part of wisdom to act more demure, more frightened, but Lin had never had much social training. Hell! She had _no_ social training.

"I'm Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_. This is Doctor Crusher." Picard looked beside him, "She has given you a standard treatment for intoxication."

Lin clapped her hand to her neck in a panic and felt all along the edge of her collar. It was still in place. The implant at the back of her neck still appeared to be okay. She made eye contact with the woman, Crusher, and there was a silent exchange. Crusher watcher her hand and Lin knew—just knew—that they had scanned her and knew all about the collar. It was—for some strange reason—humiliating.

"And…and you're Data's friends?" She ventured.

"Yes." Picard said, "We do not have time to explain, but Data was being controlled without his will to travel to this quadrant by Maddox, the human you already met. Data tried to resist and that is what led to his memory loss."

"He has his memory now." Lin said, "He told me before…um…before I left."

"You're going to help us find him." Lore declared from the other side of the room.

Lin directed her attention beyond Picard and Crusher. _That _one was standing on a short flight of stairs that led down from a control platform. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was regarding her with narrow, unfriendly eyes. It was astonishing, so much so that she could not help but just stare for a moment. He was exactly like Data, in almost every physical way it seemed…and yet they could not be more different. Even the way he stood and walked were different.

"And who are you?" She snapped.

"_I _am his brother, which trumps any friendship you think you have." He bounded down the rest of the stairs and approached with a data-pad in hand. Once he was close enough, he jabbed it toward her, "Tell us how to get in. We don't have a lot of time."

Lin took the padd and saw that it contained various scans and blueprints of the outpost. She would have laughed had she not also been terribly frightened and angry at the same time. Data…. Was he already dead? Did they even have a chance of helping him, or would they just be recovering his body?

She glared back at the other one—who had yet to divulge his name—and tossed him the padd, "These are worthless."

"Worthless?" Came a female voice from the direction of the control platform. It was a young woman with dark red hair.

Lin, feeling more than a little inclined to be as rude as possible to the _other _one, directed her attention to this new person, "Yes. These blueprints are false. Outposts such as these are filled with false databanks and phantom signatures designed to put out misleading information. This is the false blueprint. If you follow it, you will just walk into a Jem'Hadar security team."

"Do you have the real blueprints?" Lore pressed.

"I _have_ nothing." She said, "But I know them. I can draw them up or…" She swallowed hard with fear, "or I can just lead you when we get there."

Lore scoffed, "Lead us into a trap, you mean!"

"That's not what I'm doing." The words caught in her throat as she spoke them. What _was _she doing? She couldn't lead them! What if someone saw her? Even if she escaped with Data and these people, the Directors would know she had helped and then they would punish her. They would _terminate_ her. All it took was the push of a few buttons.

She cupped her hand over the side of her collar.

"We need to know how to gain access to the outpost lab without detection and what security measures to expect." Picard said calmly, "This vessel is cloaked and we should be able to maintain transporter range undetected."

"You can't transport into the outpost." She shook her head, "The dampening field is constant. We'll have to dock."

No one groaned or scoffed, but the tension in the room rose. She could not blame them. Docking was going to make the arrival and the escape all the more dangerous.

She continued, "I can use my vessel to dock at the service port and gain entry, but it will take time to prepare phantom scan signatures for them to read. Otherwise, they will detect that I'm not alone."

The _other _one raised his hands as if to rub his temples, but did not, "We don't have time. We need to go. Now."

He cared. She did not like him even in the slightest—in fact, she was still downright enraged over his handling of her—but it was obvious that he cared about Data. It was written all over the anxious look on his face.

"No, we have time." She said suddenly. She looked at Picard, who appeared to be in charge, and said, "Maddox wanted to perform a test first, which would take at least three hours, and then that much again to reset everything for the final transfer."

"A test?" Crusher said.

Lin nodded. She knew plenty about cybernetics, even though she had never seen anything like Data before meeting him. Her knowledge of cybernetics had been linked to complex automation systems, some of them quite advanced. The basics were quite the same, even if everything else was not.

"He said he was going to transfer the secondary template in total first into the new android he had built, just to see if the transfer setup was stable, then he was going to do the final transfer without the safeguards. I suppose Data must have had a secondary template for his positronic net. For emergencies, maybe?"

"Secondary template!" Lore fumed, "That's B-4!"

"Before what?"

"Argh!" Lore grinded his teeth together, "Maddox built another android?"

"Yes." She nodded, ignoring her confusion, "I saw it."

Picard stepped forward, "How much time do you think we have?"

Lin closed her eyes and thought for a moment, trying to remember how much time had passed in her inebriated state. The final tally was not encouraging, "Two hours. Maybe two and half. He won't be able to extract the template until he completes the transfer and…and erased everything on it. We can still save Data before that."

"What about B-4?"

She looked up into his gold eyes and saw, quite shockingly, that he was genuinely worried. All the sarcasm and nastiness had drained from his face.

"Bee…four?" She shook her head.

"The test transfer!" He cried, "It's isn't a secondary template, it's another person! Our brother!"

Lin's eyes flashed wide. Another person? What? There was another person, another personality, residing in Data's head? But Lin was no flustered scatterbrain, and she composed herself almost immediately. "Maddox didn't say what he planned to do after the test transfer. I have to assume, though, that he plans to use the final template to create a _new_ positronic brain in the android he built. That can only mean he plans to destroy the second one as well."

There was a deathly silence while Lore closed his eyes again and they all absorbed what she had said. It made her nervous and somewhat embarrassed, standing amongst these people who _knew _Data, who were worried for him and practically already grieving. She felt like an intruder. Ah, but there was no 'like' about it. She was an intruder!

Lore fix his eyes on Lin and pointed with a commanding hand toward the control platform, "Start working on the false sensor readings."

Lin lifted herself on her toes, which of course only took away from any menace she was trying to convey, and scowled at him, "Fine! But only because I want to help Data. Not because I'm afraid of _you!_"

Lore sneered right back and turned away from her in disgust. Lin replied the exact same maneuver and headed toward the control platform while he disappeared down the Starboard corridor. She slowed upon reaching the platform, suddenly leery of the people there. The red-haired woman gave her a professional, and somewhat welcoming, nod while the tall man with harsh forehead ridges regarded her with barely concealed suspicion. Blake stood near the far railing with his face screwed up in a kind of embarrassed frown. He rubbed absently at the side of his ribcage.

Should she apologize to him? She wasn't sure. She had very little experience with social interactions, and so decided to behave the way that had always served her best; harshly.

"I need that control station and access to my vessel." Lin said sharply.

The woman looked at her closely for a few seconds, then slowly smiled, "Sure. My name is Anna and this is Worf. You already, eh, know Blake I think."

"Yeah." Blake snorted.

Lin swallowed and moved toward the console. She had so many questions, but no idea how to broach them, or even if she should. So Data had _brothers_? How many of them were there? Did this Starfleet organization build them as soldiers or workers? She looked over her shoulder as if to see that _other _one again, even though he had already left the room. He certainly didn't strike her as any kind of soldier or worker. No one would design a servant like that!

_No. They would design them more like me, _she thought miserably. She needed to work to help Data, not wallow in self-loathing, but that was precisely the feeling that began creeping over her. What had she done when Weyoun had appeared so suddenly? She had clammed up like a good little servant and done nothing—absolutely nothing!—to help Data. She had stood there and watched while they tortured him and incapacitated him. She had followed orders blindly when they demanded that she help Maddox. She was…was….

_I'm pathetic. _

"What's a Romulan?" She said in a strangled voice.

Anna hesitated a moment, "Well…you are. Romulans are a species from the Alpha quadrant. They have recently become allies, of a sort, with the Federation."

"And I'm one of them." Lin could feel the blood beginning to pound through her head. She wasn't sure why she believed them so easily. She should be calling them on such a horrible lie, telling them how she was unique and engineered, but…she just didn't _feel _it. They had no reason to make something like that up, and she had more than a few memories of random people making vague comments about what she was. Hadn't Maddox said something about that right in front of her?

"You didn't know that." Anna said, not bothering to phrase it as a question, "I know. We met a man at one of the previous outposts, a worker from the mine there. He told us about you, about how you didn't know that you're a Romulan. I…I'm sorry."

Lin stiffened, "Don't be sorry for me. I'm fine. Fine! I…I need access to my ship. I need some sensor components for this work."

"Yes." Anna pushed back from the console and looked at Worf, who prepared to go with them.

Lin scowled at the man, "I suppose you have to come with me, to watch me?"

Anna made a kind of embarrassed smile, "Can you blame us?"

Lin looked away and shifted her weight awkwardly. She felt embarrassed, and that combined with her newfound guilt was proving to be difficult to handle. She scowled up at Worf, "Fine. But I don't want to work with that _other _one. Just keep him away from me. He's _nothing _like Data!"

Anna let loose a pearl of laughter and nodded at some inner thought. Once again, Lin got the strange impression that the woman was examining her, or thinking very keenly on her every word. She found it oddly reassuring, as if she really were _listening _to every work Lin said.

"They are much more alike than either of them would admit." Anna said, "Oh, and don't tell them that. Either one of them. They won't appreciate it."

Blake snorted a laugh from near the console. He recovered upon seeing Lin's unamused expression and picked up a tool kit. He frowned, "Come on."

"Fine." Lin retorted. She proceeded after Blake while Worf followed, keeping a close and ominous stance behind her. Lin was strong and fast, but she doubted she would have final success in any altercation with the man.

Blake moved along, but kept issuing quick glances behind his back.

"I am not going to attack you." Lin said with a frown.

"Goody." He scoffed, "I hope you know what you're talking about with this outpost. And I _hope _we aren't too late." He shook his head and muttered, almost to himself, "I don't want to know what Lore might do if we are…."

"Lore?"

"Yeah. That _other _one, as you so eloquently called him. His name is Lore."

They reached a curve in the corridor which, Lin could see, wrapped around the perimeter of the ship and continued on back toward the bridge. Blake stopped at the apex of the curve and opened a sliding door there. She could see a very small hangar bay and her vessel, which filled a little less than half the cramped space. She stepped forward and frowned as Blake stepped back just as quickly, keeping a distance from her.

She didn't get the impression that he was afraid. He just didn't like her.

"I'm sorry I attacked you." She said, almost defiantly.

"Was that an apology?" Blake narrowed his eyes, "I guess the Dominion wouldn't bother teaching slaves how to _sound _sorry."

_Slaves…._ Lin focused her eyes on her little vessel. There was no point in being morose. It was true, after all. That's what she was, a slave. A stupid slave who didn't even know her own species. What else about her life was lie?

Worf grunted…or cleared his throat…Lin was not sure which. In either case, Blake looked at him and then back to her. His cheeks reddened and he suddenly felt the need to scratch at the back of his neck.

"Um…I didn't mean—."

"We do not have time to waste." Lin said. They proceeded to her vessel and began the work that desperately needed to be done. For some strange reason, the very real likelihood that she was walking toward her own death was at the very back of her mind.

(*)

There was a small cell on the other side of the room, just inside of Data's peripheral vision. He had been watching it silently for the past ten minutes, ever since he had awoken from the black nothingness of Maddox's procedure. In truth, he had not expected to ever see consciousness again, but it appeared that Maddox was either careless—and had ignored the necessity of certain steps that would have kept Data unconscious—or the man had a sick sense of humor.

Data was not certain which he preferred.

Maddox had left the room ten minutes ago, just after he and two of the Jem'Hadar guards had finished moving the new android into the little cell. Maddox had then activated a double layer force-field around the entrance and left the room without a word. In fact, Maddox had not spoken one word to Data since Lin's departure. The few attempts Data had made to engage the man had been met with stony silence.

Data continued to watch, the minutes passing with an agonizing slowness that defied their unchanged duration. B-4 was gone from his mind and Data could not be certain if he was alright. Maddox was not sure either, for that was the whole purpose of the damned _test_. It did not matter to Bruce Maddox if B-4 were destroyed in the attempt, and why would it? He appeared to have no qualms about destroying both of them in the final procedure anyway. The android in the cell lay on its back along a hard, narrow bench, its arms flat at its sides. Data could not see its face from his current position, and he had not been able to get a glimpse when they were moving him either.

_I am sorry, Bee. I failed to protect you._

The few hours that had passed before Maddox rendered him unconscious had allowed Data to think a great deal about his predicament. He could still see no way out. He could not break his restraints and there was no way for him to know if Lore and the others—he reasonably assumed at this point that Lore was with them—were anywhere near or even knew of his predicament. He gave no reasonable hope to the prospect that Lin would return or help him in any way. He was not angry about that last realization. He knew she could not have helped even if she had wanted to do so. No. That was wrong. He knew she had wanted to help him.

He felt sorry for her. But more than that, he felt bad. He would have no chance to help her now. In the hours of silence, he had also thought about Lin and tried to puzzle out the mystery of her existence. How did a Romulan become a Dominion slave? The only logical explanation was that the Dominion had obtained her when she was a mere infant, or perhaps even before. Perhaps she had been born in Dominion custody. Her parents may have been prisoners. There was just no telling for certain.

The near imperceptible sound of fabric moving over metal broke his morose train of thought. He turned his eyes back toward the cell to see that the android had moved his arms up. He was holding them over his face, turning them slowly.

"Bee?"

"Data? Da—Oh!" The voice was deep and pleasant, despite the sudden halt of fear. "My voice sounds strange!"

"I know, Bee." Data said, "Do you know where you are? Do you remember how we came here?"

"I…no. We were with Lin and you and her were walking and saying things and then I heard people." B-4 had sat up at this point and swung his legs down from the bench. Data still could not quite see his face. "Why do I sound different? Why do I look different? Data! My hands looks different!"

"Are you alright, Bee?" Data asked, keeping his voice calm.

"No! My hands look different!" Bee cried.

"I understand that, Bee, but aside from your physical state, are you alright? Do you have any memory gaps? Do you remember the Enterprise?"

"I remember things. I remember the things I know." B-4 said, "I am alright."

"Good." Data said it even though he was not at all sure if it was a good thing. Maddox's test had been a success, which meant that there was no reason for him to not proceed immediately with the rest of the procedure. He would erase B-4 and then….

The force-field sparked violently at B-4's approach. "Oh!" He cried, "I do not like this. Data, I do not like being kept in this little place."

"I know." Data sighed.

"Will you let me out?"

"I cannot, Bee. I am restrained. I am sorry."

"Restrained? W…why?"

Data drew a deep breath, "Bee, we were not able to elude capture by Captain Maddox. He is here and he intends to use me to further his cybernetic experiments. He has transferred your neural net into a new body in order to test his transfer parameters."

It was a steady, factual speech, which Data attempted to make in as neutral a voice as possible. It was needless to say that he knew B-4 very well, and he knew that panic was not going to help anything.

"A new body? I…I…." B-4 raised his hands against and began examining them with even more care. Soon enough, he raised them to his face and over his hair, rumpling it into a thoroughly disheveled state. "I do not like this! I do not want a new body!"

The force-field crackled again.

"Bee, I must insist that you not test the force-field. It is dangerous, even to you."

"I know." B-4 said, and actually sighed. His new voice was somewhat deeper, which meant that his usually high way of talking now sounded quite moderate. "I am not indestructible."

"Yes." Data sighed. It was like B-4 to focus on a particular item and go with it. Luckily, in this instance, he had chosen not to focus on Maddox.

"Lore tells me that all the time." B-4 continued, "He says, 'we're not indestructible, you know. But don't tell that to any of the humans. It's better to keep them wondering.'"

A rueful kind of smile almost lifted Data's lips, "Yes. That does sound like something Lore would say."

"And he tells me about other people and the things they say, and he tells me about the people he meets on Earth." B-4 said. It was clear from his tone that he was smiling without much care, "He said that I can go with him down to Earth some time and meet Anna's family and Louise will like me because Louise is a troublemaker and I am the 'perfect pawn' for a troublemaker. I do not know what he means but it sounds good."

This time Data did allow himself to smile, though it was still bitter. He, of course, was aware of much of this. He had been consciously aware of B-4's surrounding most of the time since the weeks after he had transferred a copy of his neural net into B-4's systems, but he was not always aware. There were times when the conscious awareness had blanked out, uncontrollably, for hours or days at a time. And during the last four months the various procedures and tests Lore had been conducting to help build the new android body had caused him to be unaware even more often.

Still, he was well aware of the kind of anecdotes Lore tended to share with B-4.

"What else does Lore tell you?" Data asked. Since B-4 was obviously calm, it was perhaps best to continue in this line.

The force-field snapped and popped a few more times, as if B-4 was running it hands against it. "He tells me about all kinds of people and things he sees on Earth, and he shows me ship systems and how to do things. I can help Geordi because I know how to do things."

"That is good, Bee." _I am sorry we will not see Geordi again._

"He showed me how to reassemble a plasma coil because it is something 'common and boring and no one else wants to do it.'" B-4 laughed slightly as he restated Lore's words, "He showed me how to fix a replicator because 'nothing gets them angry like not being able to eat whatever they want whenever they want.'"

Data shook his head, as much as he could.

"And he showed me how to disable a force-field without using the control panel because 'you never know when you might find yourself in a situation where you need to escape, Bee. Don't ever let anyone lock you up.'"

Data's eyes flashed wide open. "What? Bee, what do you mean he—?"

"Hello, Data!" B-4 suddenly appeared around the back of the restraining table and hovered over him, a bright grin on his face, "See? Lore showed me how to do something and I did it."

Data was momentarily shocked with hope and delight as he looked up at the grinning, upside down face. So much so that for a moment he did not register the face he had yet to see. B-4 was now entirely human in appearance. In fact, the simulation was so perfect that Data himself was hard-pressed to see any detectable flaws. Staring back at him was a human male of perhaps thirty-five years of age with a strong medium build. He had a generally fair complexion, though his cheeks were healthful with color, and a head of thick golden blonde hair. A set of bright, ice-blue eyes smiled at him again.

"My voice sounds strange, Data. I do not like it."

"How did you deactivate the force field?" Data demanded.

B-4 launched in a disorganized and rather clumsy explanation having to do with field frequency and the touch censors in his hand, which could be used to detect a frequency and match. It was when B-4 starting lamenting the fact that the sensors in his hand were now 'different' that Data finally cut him off.

"Bee, listen to me very carefully. You must go back into the cell and reactivate the force field. It must appear that you are still trapped in there."

He frowned, and his new face did a much better job of displaying disapproval than his old. He looked downright hostile, "I do not like it in there."

"We do not have a plan." Data continued, "This facility is unknown to us and Captain Maddox is likely to return very soon. If he discovers you have escaped he may panic and shoot you. We must trick him into believing he is in complete control so that we may figure out how to escape this place safely."

B-4 hesitated and frowned again in the direction of the cell. "We can escape, Data. I can let you out of the restraints and we can escape. We are stronger and faster than they are."

"Strength and speed are not everything." Data replied, "We do not know how many Jem'Hadar soldiers are here, nor do we know anything about the security features of this facility. Bee, go back to the cell. Now. Will you have any trouble disabling it again?"

"No." B-4 sighed, replying to the last question. He moved toward the cell, but stopped and turned back, "Where is Lin? Lin can help us escape! Lin likes you."

"Lin cannot help us." Data said, "She is not here."

"Oh." B-4 hung his head, "But…she was with us when Maddox and the others came. I heard her and then I heard them. Why did she go away? Why did she let Maddox capture us?"

Data closed his eyes with some frustration. "She could not help us. Now, you must get back into the cell. Now."

B-4 stomped off toward the cell—Yes. _Stomped_—and the force-field crackled into life only a minute later. Data wracked his brain furiously for a plan, or at least the beginnings of a plan. They needed time. They needed something to stall Maddox from continuing with his procedure. If they could not, he would have no choice but to call B-4 to escape and release him in some directionless dash, which was very likely to result in both of them being killed or captured again. There was only one reason he could imagine that would cause Maddox to delay the final procedure, and that was the if he thought something about it was unstable.

"Bee, listen to me very carefully." Data said quickly, "When Maddox returns, it is likely that he will begin asking you questions, asking you to do things. He will be testing your cognition and motor responses to see if the transfer was successful. He must not know it was successful."

"O…okay?"

"I know it is not in your nature to lie, but you do understand pretending and fabrication, Bee."

"Yes." He said proudly, "The people in the holodeck says things about themselves but those things are not true because those people are not real. They are making up stories."

It wasn't precisely the same thing, but it was good enough, "Yes. I want to fabricate responses to the questions Maddox asks you. If he asks you to remember a particular event, I want you claim you do not remember, or remember the event incorrectly. Try to add occurrences from other memories that would make it false or illogical. If he asks you to do something physical, do something else but pretend as if you have done what he requested. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause, then, "I understand. Yes! Captain Maddox will not like that. He did not like it the last time I told him I could not remember something."

"Good. You must do this, Bee. If he believes the transfer has failed and that you are damaged, he will delay the final procedure."

"Okay. I will do it, and I do not care that he will not like it. I do not like Captain Maddox."

Data closed his eyes, "Neither do I."

"I hate him."

Data said nothing more and continued to stare at the ceiling.


End file.
